The Lion and The Lamb
by teapup
Summary: !DISCONTINUED! When Daryl Dixon is mesmerized by a beautiful girl in the woods he is determined to figure her out, however he may be in for more than he bargained for when he realizes the girl is being hunted. On his desperate mission to save her he ends up finding out something even more out of the ordinary: that this gorgeous girl is immune to the virus going around. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1: Bullseye

**Haha chapter one and done! I am much more happy with how this one found itself coming out and I hope you all do as well!  
ALSO, I know that with these chapter's being updated people still have recent reviews on them from how they were before. If you  
are interested in reposting a review (as they do not delete with the updates) please, please feel free to post them on chapters  
that you haven't posted on yet and simply let me know that you are referring to a different chapter  
(not exactly best option but there are more!) or you can send me a PM and let me know what you think along with what chapter you  
are speaking about. I would truly appreciate all of the feedback on the updates of the chapters very much so, honestly.  
It helps me lots to improve and to inspire me to keep writing more! Thanks as well for hanging in there with me for this revamp.  
I am much happier with this story now as I hope you all are as well :)**

 **P.S. Also feel free to email me at aamaterashu with any suggestions, questions, reviews or if you'd simply like to chat!**  
 **Thanks lots, keep on reading!**

* * *

 **UPDATED**

Green, ever-lasting green stretched out in front of him. Not just one green, but millions- billions, shades and hues of countless greens that surrounded the well-muscled redneck. The greens that etched the leaves, the greens that shaded the grasses and mosses, the greens that grew through the twisting, turning vines that scaled up the trees and numerous abandoned barns and farmhouses that covered the open country plains of rural Georgia- even the greens that rimmed the hollow, lifeless eyes of walkers. All of those greens intrigued him, somewhat enveloped him in their silent beauty as they painted this hellish world freely and exquisitely with such grace that he almost found himself a "pansy-ass yuppie" as Merle would have called him for thinking such "girlish" things. Especially now, in a world like this. Where the greens of the trees and leaves and grasses were no longer admired simply because there was no one around to admire them anymore. Where they went unloved, unnoticed and slowly left to rot while everything around them went to shit. They were left alone to keep what little beauty they could on this dying earth while most to every other color was drained from this world.

Like pink. That was a color he hadn't seen in awhile- at least not genuinely. Not that he paid much attention to the color when it was present, 'cause if he did he was more than positive he would've heard about it from Merle for the next lifetime and a half if he even so much as remarked that he thought the color pink was "purty". But now that the color was so absent in this new world he found himself missing it. Missing it when it illuminated the color of other's cheeks, bringing out the life, love and humanity in them. Whether it be blush or from a cold chill he missed the color with a stinging pain that he never had really acknowledged before. He missed how sweet and innocent the color had always been, how people had always used it for baby girls and for the icing on birthday cakes. Speaking of cake...he really didn't want to get into how much he missed that stuff. Would only bring back more bad memories than the ones that made his stomach grumble from the lack of the sweet, sugary heroin that was regrettably gone forever.

"Yer a damn fag, Dixon." He whispered as he ducked under a low-hanging branch, grinning at his own insult that was for some reason directed at the gruff hunter himself. 'Cause damn, didn't he get enough of that shit back at camp. From Merle, from Shane, from about goddamned everybody in that hellhole that he had been calling home for the past month or so since this shitty outbreak.

He guessed that was why he enjoyed being out here alone in the woods so much- 'cause ain't nobody damn near stupid enough to follow him out this far, even if it is to feed their own sorry asses. Lord knows them damn breadwinners and super models ain't caring none as long as they're takin' care of at the end of the day anyways.

Feeling himself growing annoyed and quite honestly a bit pissed at how the others acted back at that camp, he decided to pull himself out of his thoughts and get them back to focused on his hunting. Damn, even he knew that it was the only thing that really kept his mind off of all the mess that was goin' on around him. It'd always damn been that way. Somethin'd happen, something between him an' Merle, between him an' his drunkard of a father- hell, sometimes even between him n' hisself if the day was just that shitty. He'd take off- tell no one, not a soul- where he was goin' with just his crossbow in hand and an antique flask stuffed into his pocket filled to the brim to keep him company for the upcoming midday misery that always ran into midnight in what felt like only a matter of seconds. But he liked it that way. Just him, his bow and his alcohol. The way it shoulda damn always been 'stead of him always runnin' back home so that he could get his jaw clocked by his brother, father or some strange hick in the local bar that he didn't even know the name of. Either way the woods always found themselves a better home to him than any house he'd ever stepped foot into- even though was his own most'a the time or some brassy broad's he was bangin' for a one night stand just to take a load off. Speakin'a which, he thought he heard some noise that could match, possibly even override, the pleasured sound of some strange girl underneath him: the sound of a unknowing doe makin' her way through the forest, no idea what was'a 'bouta hit 'er.

Putting himself on high alert, he angled his bow all along the "gay ass green" that surrounded him with narrowed his eyes, licking his thin lips with excitement. In all honesty he was anticipating a good kill today. None'a that scrawny squirrel n' rabbit shit anymore but a full-grown fat ass deer that he was sure would taste just as good as any pink-frosting cake that he'd had long ago fer sure- 'specially since he knew he'd heard the damn thing not far. Placing each of his muddy boots in front of the other at a time slowly- carefully- sure to not make any noise to startle a potential meal, he crept through the noiseless woods in a 360 field of vision to make sure he didn't miss anything from right, from left, from front or from behind. He sure as hell wasn't gonna lose a dinner of venison 'cause he overlooked a doe takin' a piss behind a tree.

Smirking to himself, he saw that he'd finally spotted something he was sure he'd heard only a few seconds ago. Something nice and brown with white spots -something that could finally brighten up his day- grazing what could've only been a handful of yards away from him in a bright clearing under a single tree. He licked his lips excitedly, making sure to point and aim his bow perfectly at his intended target- more so his intended supper- before sending the perfectly set arrow whirring through the air and straight into the doe's neck where he was sure it'd sever an important artery or two and leave his prey bleeding out on the spot within a minute an' a half.

"Bullseye." He muttered triumphantly to himself before grinning that trademark smirk he was so famous for back home and taking off through the few short yards that stood between him and his only hope of sanity for the next few days. "Come to Daryl ya' sun'uva bitch." He almost laughed as he cleared the final tall patch of grass that was sheltering his fresh kill. However, what he found laying beside his prized possession was what made his entire train of thought find itself screeching to an abrupt halt in the matter of a millisecond, snatching his eyes from his perfect catch and straight to the body of something else:

A girl.

* * *

She was crouched beside his catch silently, her large, doe-like brown eyes searching over the fresh kill with contemplation as if she didn't know what to think of the wild animal fallen beside her. The way her tiny body- and damn, was she petite- was placed beside it, the way she marveled over its slain beauty...the same way he found himself marveling over her's.

She was astounding. Absolutely fuckin' perfect compared to any other broad he'd seen walkin' on this god damned earth. From her long, willowy pale blonde hair that curled at the ends, to her snowy-white skin that glistened with sweat in the sun of the clearing, he knew she was sheer beauty. He couldn't help but admire her face- such a delicate and soft heart shape, lined with a small apple-dimpled chin which was framed perfectly by her angelic locks. 'Couldn't help but admire the way her large- astoundingly wide- almond-shaped eyes, kinda like a damn cartoon's, so chocolate brown and so sweet with long, dark eyelashes fluttered up to him from the corpse of his deer and met his blue ones with even more contemplation than before. The way her thick, dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she caught sight of him. The way her round, plump pink lips parted to draw in a sharp breath when their gazes met. The way her torn and tattered T-shirt, far too large for her, hung from her minuscule frame and revealed the perfect amount of her cleavage. The way she was just so damn breathtaking.

However, as he kept boring his stare into her he found himself becoming more focused on the less beautiful things about her. Such as countless wounds that patched her skin, the raw rings that curled around her wrists- the left one sloppily patched with a dirty strip of bandage- and the identical ones that lingered all the more around her ankles- obviously marks from her being restrained against her free will. The numerous cuts and scrapes that covered her entire body from head to toe. Her busted lip, her black eye, the glazed, hollow look those beautiful brown eyes beheld, the split skin above her right eyebrow...however his eyes were drawn to one particularly bone-chilling wound that marked the girl's ghostly-white skin: the bruises that engulfed her entire throat in the shape of a human's hands.

Besides his own infatuation he found himself coming to realization that he had no idea what in the name of god to do- no idea what in the name of god had even happened to hurt this little girl? Who tied her up? Who beat her senseless? Bruised her, cut her, touched her? Left her for dead out here in the open? But he was determined to find out.

"Ain't gonna hurt ya' none." He told her softly as she had already began to stance herself; shifting from a kneeling position into one of that she practically had herself ready to pounce on 'im if he inched any closer. He stuck out his hand to her, not in that of a friendly gesture where he wanted physical contact but in that of showing her he would keep his distance if she simply kept her cool.

However, the girl didn't seem unwavered. With those big beautiful chocolate brown eyes beginning to narrow at him and her thick, luscious eyebrows starting to furrow even more...he could tell she was having quite heated debate with herself. He could tell easily she was 'bout to fight or flee by now especially. Simply from the way her eyes began to dart wildly from side to side and her muscles tightened into thick, taut layers under her skin as if she was some sort of caged animal. That's when it hit 'im.

That's it. That's what this lil girl looked like. An animal; beautiful, caged, terrified- desired. Everything his prey always was and will be.

Nonetheless, as the youngest Dixon found himself deeply infatuated with the blonde in front of him being so much like an animal is when she took off into the woods at the speed of one- no surprise there.

Stunned at first, he quickly snapped out of it and sprung up to dash after, however stopping mid-sprint to glance uneasily back at his fresh kill. Hesitating at the thought of leaving such a plump doe behind, he somehow found hisself more drawn to the tiny blonde sprinting a couple yards ahead of him now like a fuckin' track star.

"Ya' lucky." He muttered as he tore through the thick overgrowth after her, "I chose ya' over my deer."

* * *

He'd been chasin' her now for what felt like hours and with the hot, Georgia sun finding its way through the thick tops of the trees and onto his already-crisp neck he wasn't all too sure if he wanted to keep up the manhunt after this mysterious girl anymore. Lord knows least his body didn' want to. The way his sides were aching by now, the way his entire throat and lungs all burned as if Satan hisself took a damn piss in 'is mouth- and god damn the way 'is back ached like he'd been thrown out a movin' vehicle from haulin' 'round a fuckin' 20 lb. crossbow an' just 'bout two dozen squirrels 'round his shoulder. He didn' even wanna get started on how his feet felt like he'd be walkin' 'cross hot coals since Sunday.

He let out a growl of annoyance towards 'imself as he listened to his own silent complaints, practically havin' the damn need to give him an identical black eye to blonde he was trackin'. He'd lost sight of 'er long ago, probably about a mile an' a half or so back. He'd kept followin' her scrambled tracks, though. Decided that, hell, if he came after her this far n' left a deer behind in the dust for a bunch'a biters he might as well see what all of her fuss was about. Well, besides the fact that they were livin' in a world of undead bastards who try to eat you if you just so happen to cross paths with 'em.

However, he was pretty sure that walker's weren't what she was so terrified of. From the way she'd eyed him with those beautiful brown peepers and practically dropped into a hunter's crouch when he made any sudden movements he was positive that little girl was more scared of people than any undead flesh-eater roaming this earth. 'Specially with all them cuts and bruises, not to mention those raw rings around her ankles and wrists. He found himself not able to blame her for bolting when she had the chance as he wasn't the friendliest lookin' fucker to have ever roamed these woods and her previous encounters with livin' didn't seem to have gone too well...

Slowing his pace as he followed her tracks along the desolate trail, he halted when the sudden panicked realization begin to wash over him in rough waves. He let out a deep, shaky exasperated sigh and came to a complete stop before practically throwing himself into the nearest oak as the frustration overwhelmed him. He felt fiery anger surging through him as he cursed 'imself for not figuring it out earlier. Something so obvious, something so utterly clear that he- if anyone- should have realized the second she turned on 'im like a fuckin' panther.

This girl was bein' hunted.

He wasn't all too sure by who or for whatever reason why, but he was positive that she was being hounded like some kind of fuckin' animal by people who were probably more messed up than he'd like to imagine. The countless scenarios of who, what, where and why could only flood his mind so fast until he started to feel sick. He could only handle so many disturbin' thoughts at once even if he was a Dixon. Hell, thas' what we was. A Dixon, not a fuckin' Manson.

Swallowing hard, he forced himself back onto her tracks instead to keep his mind off of the unsettling conclusions that came to his mind, not one of them managing to end well for the little blonde that he was trying so desperately now to trace. He knew he'd have to find her before whatever sick pricks did again this time. Else they might give'r more than a black eye and busted lip.

By now the sun had begun to set, casting pastel shades of oranges, pinks- _fuckin' irony_ \- and yellows into the sky above him, drowning out the pale blue that had been reigning it all day long. Even though he could barely see the sky through the thick overgrowth of the treetops above his head, he could still make out the pale golden glow that would change from burning white rays that shot all the way down to the forest floor dependin' on the hour. That is how the redneck really told when the sun began to set n' rise. That and the sounds along with the temperature. While Georgia summer's are damn hot all day n' night 'round, dusk was still considerably cooler than the blistering humidity during the afternoon's 'specially. He could recall almost snagging a nasty case of heatstroke more than a hundred times at the age of only five. However he didn't mind one bit, in fact he loved it. He was born wild- raised it. The heat, the cold, the bugs, the animals- none that bothered 'im. Truth be told he liked it all. He loved the feeling of being feral- untamed. It made him feel free an' happy unlike anythin' else. Just bein' able to roam wherever he wants anymore without a care in the world was simply the utmost satisfying thing he had encountered in all his days. He loved the smell of the night air- the feel of its refreshing coolness pooling into his lungs along with the countless unrecognizable scents of other wild beings such as indigenous plants and animals. But he loved those even more so. All of it was just so damn peaceful. No Merle or Shane to bug 'im. No annoyin' ass cunt's followin' 'im 'round camp askin' 'im favors he didn' wanna do. No kids screamin' and carryin' on or cryin' 'cause biter's were comin' near 'em. While he was out here it was just 'im and the stars. Well, for maybe just tonight it would be him, the stars and lil blondie that must've turned in for the night. He noticed her tracks began to spiral, as if in an attempt to confuse the expert tracker that had been followin' 'er for nearly four god damn miles by now. They had begun to twist and turn amongst themselves, overriding the other and dodgin' 'round trees an' bushes. He was sure she couldn't be far by now and if anything were to happen he'd hear it even in 'is sleep. Not that he was really a light sleeper or anythin', but it was more so that the screams of a distressed lil beauty could wake any man up from the deepest slumber easily. That anyone knew obviously.

However, as the sky began to grow darker and darker, leaving little to no glow peering through the overlapping branches high above Daryl's head he knew he'd better turn in for the night as well. Wasn't damn safe for anyone out in the woods with the dead lurkin' 'bout all the time now.

Muttering under his breath at the thought of the biters comin' at 'im while he slept, he quickly slung his bow over his shoulder and secured the rope of squirrel's around his belt before hauling his muscled ass up a wide oak to take refuge in for a few hours.

He settled at a sturdy, high-hanging branch that overlooked the entire forest floor to be his bedroom for the night. It wasn't one of those fancy ass yuppie _Hampton Inn's_ or whatever the fuck they were called, but hell, he'd take one of these great oak's over a soft memory foam mattress where you could make out the indent of two republican's who had really quiet sex with their shirt's still on for the one singular time within their entire marriage on it. 'Cause lord knows only those types'a people could afford them damn hotels.

Chuckling softly to 'imself at his thoughts, he shook his head before whispering aloud, practically bursting with laugher, "Ain't no damn republicans alive anymore."


	2. Chapter 2: Hounded

**Aaand chapter two is now revamped as well! It is a bit graphic and has the potential for triggers so please, please, please beware and be  
cautious while reading it :) I hope you all enjoy the new road I have taken with this story as compared to the other one now! I know that  
I sure do and feel far more compelled to keep updating more recently! Don't forget if you've already posted a review from the previous chapter  
before my revamp you are more than welcome to shoot me a PM with suggestions, questions and reviews and which chapter you are referring to  
as the feedback truly helps and compels me to keep writing and helps me improve vastly! Thanks again all for your support, patience and loyalty!  
Keep on reading :)**

* * *

 **UPDATED**

He awoke the next morning to a scream. Not just any scream, but an ear-shattering, heart-stopping wail that found itself to be all too similar to what a lil blonde girl's shriek could be.

Instantly jolting awake, Daryl looked around wildly from where he had been sleeping for the night. It was early dawn already. The sky was a pale mixture of light gray and baby blue by now and the air was heavy, hot an' muggy with so much moisture in it you could practically drown just by breathing it in. A thick layer of fog lay across the forest floor as well, so thick and heavy he couldn't even see the faintest slight bit of the leaves and dirt that beheld his girl's tracks from the day before. However, by the sound of that scream, he knew he wouldn't be needing those.

Quickly, he untied himself from the wide oak before scaling his way down the trunk at lightning fast speed before making contact with the fog that came up to 'im waist deep. He whipped out his crossbow and scanned the area like he did when searching for his prey: 360 field of vision, cautious and alert. He turned completely in a circle while straining his ears desperately for any noise that could lead 'im to the blonde from yesterday. However, that was proven quite difficult due to the insidious and obnoxious crickets, frogs and birds that found themselves invading the redneck's ears like the plague one after the other.  
That was when she finally let out another heart-wrenching scream, though. One so loud and animalistic it sent crows flying from the treetops overhead.

 _Bingo._

Daryl sprinted forward, crossbow pointed out and ready, as he trudged through the thickening white fog that engulfed the entire lower part of his body within the direction that the bird's had retreated from. He found 'imself hoping it was walker's as he grew closer and closer to her wails and cries. Hopin, prayin' that those fuckin' monsters that had gotten to'er once hadn't latched onto 'er again like the fuckin' sickos he knew they were.

Sadly, however, his prayers went unheard.

 _Per usual._

He found himself arriving at small clearing in the trees where three men- all heavily armed- were cornering the girl he had been tracking against since yesterday against a tree. They were the pieces of shit he expected them to be, that was for sure. The one had to be at least 6'4, 230 lbs. and packin' enough steel to run 'is own fuckin' tycoon. He was quite the " _friendly"_ lookin' thing too. With long, curly brown locks pulled into a sweaty ponytail with a matching beard, a stained gray wife-beater and torn up blue jeans he looked like one of those sick fucks you'd see on the news for touchin' preschoolers. His two friends, though, looked a bit younger. The first was probably a bit shorter than Daryl hisself, a lanky lookin' loser with short brown curls and a gap between his two front teeth. His counterpart, nonetheless, was no taller than Daryl 'imself, stacked a bit of muscle from what he could tell and had a bit of a "bad-ass New Yorker" type-a look to 'im.

 _All pieces of shit._ He thought furiously, ducking behind one of the trees along the clearing as he patiently awaited his time to shine.

"Damn, are we happy to'a found you again, lil lady." The "friendly" one taunted, drawing himself closer to the petrified blonde.

Peering around the thick trunk, Daryl watched as the gorgeous little vixen backed herself up into the tree and the three began to close in on her with eyes of hunger. She was trembling all over by now and was covered in mud and dirt that soaked her all the way through her thin layer of clothing to the skin. By this he knew they must've been chasing her around since before dawn, cursing himself for not arriving earlier.

"Aw, yes, sir-ee." The gap-toothed one spoke, his gaze raking over her as if she was the single most tantalizing thing he'd ever seen on this entire earth. "What you think, Dave? You think she miss us too?" He laughed.

"I dunno Randall." The "bad-ass New Yorker", Dave apparently, spoke as he licked his lips, "She seems kinda unhappy to me. Kinda nervous." He observed, drawin' a hand forward so that he could stroke one of the pale blonde curls at the end of her hair, receiving an indignant shoulder from the girl as she quickly pulled away from him.

"Aw...Don't be shy, sweetheart. No need to worry, we're all gonna get real used to each other real fast." The largest one spoke as he shifted closer to her and took her tiny face into his palm, trying to snatch her chin to force her to look directly at him- however she simply kept pulling away while squeezing her eyes shut.

"Careful, Mike. You saw what she did to Tony last time. Practically gauged out the poor sunuva bitch's eye." Randall warned, his fingers already starting to work on his belt's buckle.

The "friendly" one, also apparently Mike, let out a snicker and forcefully yanked her head straight to face him and her eyes flew open to meet his, "Aw, no. She won't do that to me guys. I think she likes me more than she did Tony. Ain't that right, baby?" He cooed, rubbing her bruised cheek with his thumb. Nonetheless, the tiny blonde didn't respond well to that. At the sound of his teasing words she spit on him- right in the eye too- and caused him to release her jaw roughly enough to which Daryl was sure he coulda fuckin' dislocated it. "What did I tell you 'bout bein' nice, you little bitch?" Mike snarled, reaching forward to grab a fistful of her shirt to pull her tiny body up onto her shoeless tiptoes before slamming his mouth into hers.

Daryl felt 'imself growin' sick as the torture ensued in front of him. He knew he had to do somethin' by now. Couldn't just stand and there an' watch them do this to this lil girl. He knew he had to wait for his chance though. If he ran out there with just a crossbow and a hero-complex he'd be blown to pieces 'fore he could get within ten feet of em'.

"Ow! Lil' bitch fuckin' bit me!" The brute yowled as his hand shot up from the girl's shirt to his own mouth, grasping at the bleeding lip he now adorned. Daryl watched in horror as she tried to make a run for it then, seeing a small opening of hope as the largest of the group was distracted with his new found injury. Sadly, however, she didn't make it too far.

Dave, the defacto ringleader it seemed, whipped out a handgun and fired a round into the girl's leg and instantly brought her to the ground before taking a few strides to catch up with her tiny fallen body. The scream of absolute pain that erupted from the girl's lungs practically broke his heart- and it took a lot to break a Dixon's heart. Really, it did. Shit man, kill his favorite dog? Fuck that hound, was loud as hell anyways. Maybe kill his mama? Sh'was an annoying, good-fer-nothin' bitch n'ways. Hell, even drive 'is favorite pick-up into a murky swamp and you didn't even come close to jerkin' a tear. But tear up a little girl? Bind 'er, cut 'er, hunt 'er down like a fuckin' animal and try to rape 'er in the open without a care in the world? You may have just hit'a soft spot. Least for the youngest of the Dixon brother's it was one. Who couldn't look at the sight displayed in front of him without gettin' a broken heart and a twisted gut? He scoffed, realizing that the fucked up monsters who did this to her didn't. Hell, they got a hard on from it.

He watched uneasily as Dave looked down at her writhing form with with squinted eyes before nailing her hard in the side with his foot, practically sending her a foot an' a half away from her original position. This time, though, only a small whimper of fear and pain came from her, thus eliciting a large, guttural wave of laughter from the three men from behind her.

"Ain't so tough now are ya', sweetheart?" Dave chuckled, kneeling down behind the girl as he licked his lips and cracked his knuckles, "Now let's see what ya' got in store for u-"

"We gotta a biter, guys." Randall suddenly interrupted, pointing at a lone walker that was limping weakly towards the hidden figure of Daryl. Feeling his breath hitch and muscles tighten as it grew closer, he readied his bow as the snarling creature grew closer with outstretched arms while preparing for the gunfire that would ensure shortly after in his direction once he was given away.

However, much to his own satisfaction he heard the three men engage in a short verbal confrontation before Randall shot the reaking thing dead at the hunter's feet.

 _Perfect._

Smiling to himself, Daryl eyed the unmoving corpse before switching his attention back to the altercation in the clearing with his lil blondie.

"C'mon now! Don't be so shy, we just wanna see how pretty you are." Dave cooed to the girl, slowly sliding the tight, torn jeans down the tiny girl's legs to reveal a small pair of laced white undies. "Aw man, and you didn't wanna share this?"

Daryl winced as he heard the muffled sound of the girl sobbing softly into the dirt, weakly trying to throw the much larger man from atop of her as he tossed her jeans to the side with a wicked chuckle. He disgustedly watched as Dave pulled a hunting knife from his belt loop and twirled it around between his thumb and index finger before he looked over to Randall, "Here, little man. You do the honors." He told him with a devious, crooked smile before tossing him the well-sharpened knife.

Randall's eyes lit up like Christmas lights as he caught the hunter's tool mid-air and Dave stood up to give the youngest member the seat at the girl's rear. Practically giggling like a child as he took the spot, Randall used the glistening weapon to cut his way through the girl's shirt, eliciting another high-pitched shriek as he purposefully pushed the tip far enough into her to also break skin. Once he reached the end of her tattered top, he quickly pulled it from beneath her and tossed it to the side into a messy pile with her jeans.

"Oh my..." Mike and Dave both almost moaned as Randall fastened his hands around the girl's waist to lift her up into their view, now as she only adorned a pair of thin lace panties.

"Man, that's too fuckin' nice." Mike growled, shifting his body so that he stood directly in front of the barely conscious blonde, "Can't wait to-"

 _Whoosh._

The sound of Daryl's arrow barely made a noise as it connected with the back of the brute's neck, instantaneously causing his limp body to crumple lifelessly to the ground. Quickly tossing his bow to his feet to enable a more speedy escape, he snatched up the walker corpse at his feet and held it in front of him, unsheathing his hunting knife before charging out into the clearing where the final two beast's stood awaiting to be slain.

The sounds of gunshots rang in his ears and he peered around the body of his meat shield to see Randall dropping the girl to the ground, only to freeze in absolute fear. Completely unarmed.

 _Pussy ass bastard._

Instinctively, Daryl swiftly flung the knife in Dave's direction, smirking with pleasure as the sharpened blade penetrated the sicko's shoulder as lightning fast speed and sent him to the ground with a _'thud',_ then simply pushed the corpse onto Randall and watched as the two fell to the ground in a motionless pile of worthless limbs.

Finally, he was able to stoop down and quickly but carefully scoop the half-naked beauty into his arms, doing his best to be gentle as possible. "It's all good, girl." He reassured her quietly while he shifted onto one knee and pulled himself up so that he could stand with her steadily clutched against his chest. He thanked god that she was so light. Like carryin' around a newborn baby. He thought, swallowing hard.

He tightened his clutch around her tiny body, shifting all of her weight to one arm as he dipped down to snatch his bow from the ground, flinging it carelessly over his shoulder before readjusting her into a more comfortable position until finally bolting into the forest in the direction that they had came earlier the day before. Maybe they didn't arrive together, but they sure as hell were now leaving together.

He just kept runnin'. Haulin' ass as if there were no tomorrow or yesterday. He wasn't even lookin' back to see if Randall or Dave had gotten up to pursue them by now, though he sure as hell knew the sunuva bitch Mike wouldn't be. Not anytime soon, not never. He made sure of that.

As he carried the practically nude beauty through the forest while agilely maneuvering around any obstacles such as low-hanging branches, overturned rocks, hollowed out logs and hell, even some walker corpses, he couldn't help but have the painful flashbacks of the sickening occurrences that happened only moments ago scintillating nauseatingly through his mind. From the girls deafening screams, to her tiny, muffled sobs he couldn't decide what was worse. If he simply thought that having to watch that vile incident was so hard and painful to do, he'd absolutely hate having to endure it firsthand. He couldn't even imagine what this poor little girl was going through by now. Between the fear, the shock and the complete and utter agony he wasn't even sure how she was still alive. Most girl's in her condition wouldn'ta been able to even move after getting shot in the leg and beat up by a bunch'a sickos in the woods- let alone after being undressed by em' all and nearly raped. He was quite impressed that she still fought back the way she did even after her extensive injuries. Kickin', screamin', spittin' and hell, even tryna claw at some of them motherfuckers. It was damn near applaud-worthy if'e said so 'imself.

* * *

After running for what felt a good forty minutes or so, Daryl began to slow his pace to a light jog as his entire body was already startin' to beg for at least a quick drink of something cool. Anything at this point sounded like the perfect drink- even some fruity white girl drink that couldn't get a newborn baby tipsy. Especially with how dry and scratchy his eyes and throat were by now and how his lungs burned a raging hellfire, practically begging for the sweet release of a cool, refreshing liquid- or god the way every single muscle in his entire body screeched and ached for any type of relaxation even if only for a couple moments.

He knew, regrettably, that this girl was taking a harsh toll on his body for over the past two days. Between trackin' 'er down for four fuckin' miles, leavin' behind a deer on her behalf, gettin' shot at by a bunch of loony rapists and carryin' her high speed through the woods for almost an hour he couldn't decide what took the most out of him by then. 'Cause christ almighty did he want nothing more than to lay down in the quarry back at camp and let the cool, clear water wash over his body like a five star Jacuzzi.

"Yer a fuckin' fag, Dixon." He muttered to 'imself as he finally came to a resting stop, shifting the unconscious girl in his arms into a slightly more comfortable position before raking his eyes across the vast landscape of towering trees, overgrown brush and bushes, fallen logs and overturned rocks numerous times before his eyes finally caught it.

A small, rundown hunting shack that couldn't be bigger than a shed that sat unevenly between two large, rotting pine trees which hung just as low as the shabby house amid them.

Smirking to himself at the welcome sight, he tightened his grip around the frail girl in his arms before mustering up one more rapid burst of strengthening speed that brought him all the way to the rickety wooden stairs of the decaying cabin. He peered through the murky windows, scanning the small wooden cube with caution before he could confirm seeing nothing but an assortment of empty whiskey bottles and numerous old rags and newspapers strewn messily across the floor caked with mud and animal blood.

 _Let's hope that's what that blood is._ He thought uneasily before shifting all of the girl's weight to his right arm to twist the loose knob of the wooden door which hung loosely from the frame of which was supposed to be supporting it. It opened creakily, causing the youngest Dixon brother to wince at the noise before ushering himself inside quickly after closing the obnoxious entry behind him. Hurriedly, he carried the girl over to a tattered, stained sheet that was laid across the floor in the right corner of the shifting shack and carefully set her down amongst it with hands so gentle it practically made 'im insult 'imself again.

Shaking his head, he gazed down at the comatose beauty with exhausted eyes before tenderly starting to see to her wounds, feeling his stomach twisting and turning as he analyzed her new ones that danced fresh and brutal alongside her older ones. From the fresh bullet wound in her lower right calf, to the harsh bruising that lined the entire right side of her ribcage he could barely stand to look at them- especially when combined with all of the less-ripe injuries her tiny body adorned. Nevertheless though, he regrettably found his eyes wandering along her more appealing features- the ones he was sure she adorned long before the more gruesome ones he had previously observed...

From her long, gorgeous pale curly locks that were by now all twisted and matted with blood, to 'er face; small, doll-like, drop-dead gorgeous and was laying sideways upon one of her frail arms while she was laid flat on her back with the entirety of her porcelain nude body exposed to him like some sick porno. And god damn her breasts, so small an' cute- probably only about 32 B's, could be bigger...could be smaller, kind of fucked up to think about when he really delved into it- shone to him with perfect, little pink nipples that looked softer than down on a baby chick. Below those godly little things her petite figure eyed him like a hawk; ribs just barely visible from her being so damn tiny, the perfect swell of her minuscule hips, the entirety of her torso that he was far more than positive he could wrap both his arms around at least twice just boring into him all at once. He then found himself realizing what he was doing, registering how fucked up it was, and didn't dare to dive into thought of laid below those puny little hips.

With this thought he knew it was gonna be a long damn night.


	3. Chapter 3: Deliverance

**Aaand chapter three is up! Hope you all enjoy :) Don't forget to send me a PM with what you think or a review! Thanks all, read on! :)**

* * *

 **UPDATED  
**  
She'd been out for a few hours now. Just sleeping, resting, relaxing for what to be at least a good straight twelve hours or so by now. Laying there peacefully like a baby facing him with such a beautifully content face he felt like he was watchin' a fuckin' angel anymore. Besides the raggedy old burlap blanket he'd covered her up in and the countless cuts, bruises and welts that lined her face he could barely believe someone who looked like her was even still alive. She didn't look like an outdoor girl- let alone someone who knew well enough to try and confuse a professional hunter by overlapping her tracks and twistin' 'em all up the way she did. She especially didn't look like a girl who could somehow escape a bunch of loons three times 'er size on numerous occasions by now without dyin'. He had to admit it was a fuckin' miracle she was somehow still alive after all of her time out there unarmed, vulnerable and bein' tracked by a bunch of serial rapists at the same time. It was incredible a walker didn't snatch 'er up in her sleep- if she had even slept after all this time, which he highly doubted considering the way she was comatose for more than half the damn day now, or simply snath 'er up in general. He was impressed, honestly. Someone like her, so fragile and delicate looking could be such a hardened bad ass and literally spit in the face of danger. With that he also found it absolutely hilarious as well, that this girl who couldn't weigh more than a 100 pounds soaking wet could somehow manage to take care of 'erself out in these woods crawlin' with rapists and biters while more than half of the grown men back at the camp he was stayin' at with 'is brother could barely take out a walker with a metal bat.

Shaking his head sleepily, he muttered simply to 'imself, "Worlds'a crazy fuckin' place." before reaching into his ratty old backpack where he'd stored 'is dozen n' half squirrels before goin' Rambo on the three fucks that'd been all touchy-feely with his blondie and pulled out one. He knew he was hungry and she'd sure as hell be once she woke up from her hibernation. And when doesn't a nice meal of squirrel make anyone feel better?

With that he got into the skinning of their meal.

Plucking away all the fur, peelin' away all the skin, rinsing it and throwin' away all the bones until he had only the edible parts of the rodent. He had to admit he enjoyed doin' it- skinnin' animals after death, that was. It was a good way to relax, get some anger outta ya'- almost like an art. The way the bare skin and muscle felt against his calloused hands, how satisfying it was to just peel away the bones like they'd veen tenderizing for damn near a week. His favorite part though of course was eatin' the lil shit. He'd always heard people back home criticizin' him for huntin' down the furry bastards and havin' 'em for dinner like it was a cheeseburger. Always called 'im "sick", "not right in the head", "trash"- 'specially when ee'd tell 'em that he loved the taste. 'Course then he was just teasin' 'em all and tryna get a reaction outta 'em by then but damn was it funny. The looks on the bar maids faces when he'd roll up through the door with a dozen squirrels strung up 'round belt like it was some sorta fashion. They'd always and only tell em', "Yer business ain't wanted here, Dixon." Practically spittin' the words at 'im as if he'd been the nastiest thing they'd ever damn seen. Funny thing was he'd always get a drink after bickerin' for a good five minutes or so and hell, even half of the time ended up bangin' one of the same broads who'd stuck their noses up at 'im only minutes ago.

Chuckling lightly to 'imself, he shook off a few drops of blood from his hands before wiping them on his tattered pants and he laid his head back against the wall, feelin' drowsier than he did after smokin' his own weight in Mary-Jane. He let out a long, soft sigh before finally letting himself nod off into a deep, much longed for sleep with his back against the rough wooden wall of the shabby little cabin.

* * *

Daryl woke the next morning with a painful cramp in his neck from sleepin' upwards so much lately. He opened his eyes groggily and let out a long pained moan and rubbed the the source of the pain irritably before shifting his body upwards to gaze around the cabin. However, when his eyes fell upon the spot where the tiny blonde had been asleep when he drifted off he saw that is was empty now- completely spotless. Besides the stained sheet that had been there when they both first arrived the area was now empty.

Jumping up frantically, Daryl dashed around the creaky little shack before confirming that she wasn't there. The only thing keepin' him sane by now was the thought that she couldn'ta gone far, not with a busted rip and a gunshot to the leg. However, as Daryl did one final sweep of the bare cabin something caught his eye outside the window. Something pale and small weakly attempting to drag itself through the dew-covered leaves that littered the forest floor in the faint early morning light. Instantly identifying the frail figure, he snatched his crossbow off of the floor and flung it over his shoulder in one swift movement before throwing open the door, nearly tearing it off of the hinges. He cleared the handful of deteriorating front steps and sprinted over to where she was lying under the thin burlap blanket he'd given her at her waist by now as she seemingly admitted defeated and lay still in the saturated pile of rotting grasses, leaves and pine needles.

He frowned softly and stooped down beside her trembling frame and watched as her tiny white hands gripped into the littered forest floor when he grew closer. However, he simply slid the side of her head into his calloused hand and let her rest on it instead of chilly, damp dirt-covered ground. He stroked her soft, white flawless cheek gently before whispering, "Ain't gon' hurt ya', blondie." He told her softly, watching as her eyelids began to twitch at the sound of his earnest words and her thick eyebrows begin to furrow in that adorable way they did when she began to think too hard. He smirked softly when those big, doe-like chocolate brown eyes opened to meet his narrow blue ones steadily and held his gaze without her blinking away at all. He felt his stomach begin to do somersaults as time slowly passed though, beginning to slowly realize that this was probably his most intimate moment with a woman he'd ever had. Don't get 'im wrong, he's been _"intimate, intimate"_ but that's it. He'd fuck and they'd been done and over with, maybe go for a round two if he wasn't too drunk or high and they'd never speak again unless it was more loveless sex before and after talk- nothing ever in between. He wasn't about that mess. Wasn't a coddler, wasn't a lover, wasn't none of that. Hell, he didn't even care if the girl came or not as long as he got what he wanted out of the situation. There was never any long, loving eye contact or cuddling or god forbid an "I love you" ever exchanged between him and some one night stand fake good fer nothin' broad. Maybe except that one time, though, when he was bangin' a girl who's daddy owned the old bar back in their old small hometown. She told him one night when they were havin' sex that she loved 'im and damn he got out of there quicker than a hot knife through butter. She called 'im and called 'im for weeks after that and he didn't dare even pick up his fuckin' phone for a month after the calls even stopped. He ran at the thought of love- the thought of commitment. Not 'cause he was a bastard who couldn't stay tied down to one girl, but because he was afraid of it. Out of all the things in this god forsaken world that was now crawlin' with fuckin' dead people and he was most afraid of love. But as he gazed into the eyes of this wild blonde sprawled half-naked across the forest floor with her head in his hand he truly couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be. This was one of _those_ moments. One of _those_ intimate, lovey-dovey moments that only happens in movies. One of _those_ crazy, unrealistic moments that somehow, for some reason happening right now to him. And for some reason he didn't seem to mind. Swallowing hard at the thought , he narrowed his eyes into hardened slits before promising her, "Ain't nothin' ever gonna hurt you again."

At the sound of his final words, he watched as the girl's eyes widened to even larger chocolate moons than they already were, practically causing him to melt under their soft stare. Her trembling had even stopped by now as she just gazed at him as if he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

 _Ever looked in a fuckin' mirror?_ He though to 'imself gruffly before turning his attention back to the battered pale goddess shifting on the forest floor beneath him. He watched with eyes equally as wide as she shakily pulled herself up into an unstable sitting position, the only thing even holding her were her tiny, trembling arms and her seemingly undefeatable determination by now.

"Don't hurt yerself now..." Daryl warned her and placed his hand by her arm, though not directly on it so that he wouldn't startle her. She simply looked up to him in a way that practically made 'im want to kiss her busted lips. The scandalous way her body was positioned in such a model-like style beneath him, the way only the bottom of her body was covered by the burlap blanket, the tantalizing way her long, pale curls were the only thing covering her perky breasts, and Jesus fucking Christ the way she gazed up at him with those hazy brown eyes...He knew he could control 'imself, easily at that. He wasn't into the forced stuff, sure as hell not with someone in her condition who was finally beginning to seemingly trust 'im despite all she'd been through. It felt nice, he had to admit. Having her gaze at him with such faith and admiration- it made 'im feel good on the inside. Not a lot managed to do that.

"Here." He muttered and began to unbutton his shirt with quick, shaky fingers until he heard a high-pitched moan elicit from the ghostly creature below him. "No." She croaked, her frail arm drawing up as she began to shield her face, "No more..." Daryl released his second to last button and stared at her with a puzzled expression. "Whataya mean "no"? You crazy? I'm just tryna..." That's when it dawned on him- something so frightening and nasty that even in his mind he found himself agreeing with her. This little girl thought he was gonna... "No! No, no, no! I'm not gonna- I'm just tryna help you, girl. I'ss cold out this mornin' and yer..." He watched as she eyed him for a moment reluctantly, those gorgeous eyebrows forming their ritualistic position above her eyes as she contemplated his actions. He shook his head and practically tore off the rest of his shirt, throwing the dirty flannel around her and he pulled her back into him, trying to be as gentle as possible as he began to turn her so that he could carry her bridal-style. "If I was gonna touch ya' I woulda done it while ya' were out cold." He informed the girl who froze in his grasp as he pulled her to his chest while making sure to grasp the burlap blanket to pull it over her bare legs.

"'Sides," He remarked as he started his way back to their cabin with her clutched safely in his muscular arms, "Ya' ain't my type." He found the words practically stuck in his throat, however, after he spoke them. He knew they were a lie, but he also knew that if he was in her position he'd appreciate the reassurance. Knowing that the giant gruff redneck wasn't gonna go all Deliverance on ya' was probably one'a the most relieving things a vulnerable woman could know, if he had to be honest.

However, when he looked down at the girl once he reached the door he found 'imself holding back the urge to burst into outright laughter. Her eyebrows, still furrowed, though they had a different expression to them. They seemed almost disgruntled- offended. Her entire expression seemed that way. From the way her adorable little button nose was wrinkled with embarrassment, to the way her pale cheeks blossomed with bright red blush and of course the charmingly cute way her plump pink lips were pouted in a childish manner along with her frail arms which crossed over her chest indignantly. It all only pointed to one thing.

"What?" He questioned her as he pushed the door with one of his feet and looked down at 'er, "Ya' seriously offended 'cause yer not my type?" He fought down the urge to chuckle as she simply turned her head away from him and tightened her arms around her chest. Daryl simply rolled his eyes at 'er as he laid her back down onto her makeshift bed and gave her a snicker. "I thought ya'd appreciate at, blondie. Seeing as ya' seem to be every other damn guy's type."

He watched as her eyes softened at the comment while he gradually stood from letting her out of his grasp, her arms falling slowly from clutching his bare chest without taking her gaze away from 'is. Quickly, he broke the stare and walked away from her so that he could rummage through his pack, trying to act like he didn't notice 'er even though he could still feel those big chocolate brown eyes searing into the back of 'im.

Clenching his jaw, he pulled out a dirty, sleeveless plaid top and pulled it over his head silently before turning back to the girl who made no effort to seem as if she wasn't staring at him the entire time. He clenched and flexed his fists before doing his best to break the tense, awkward, silent atmosphere that overwhelmed the two.

"Ya' hungry?" He asked, feeling 'imself grin as her eyes lit up with a whole new light at the sound of a meal, "Though so. I'm too." The blonde weakly sat 'erself up, wincing and letting out small moans of pain before she could sit upright with her back against the rough wooden wall. He felt his smirk widen as he began to notice how large his shirt was on 'er. It hung loosely from her petite frame, barely covering up her breasts even with it being buttoned all the way to the top. It was damn adorable too the way her arms didn't even reach out of the sleeves and how the bottom of the raggedy old plaid came all the way down to 'er mid-thigh.

"I've got some squirrel." He told 'er, nodding to an old cloth with covered in fur, entrails and god only knows what else, "Ain't much but it'll fill ya' up. Can't really start a fire in here, though. We'd have to go outside and start a fire." He paused hesitantly before continuing, "Should probably change that bandage though, clean out the rest of your cuts n' shit too. Didn' wanna touch ya' an' clean ya' up while you were sleepin' so I thought I'd wait 'til ya' got up." He noted the small smile that began to etch her busted lips, obviously she appreciated the concern he'd taken into consideration so seriously when it came to her situation. "There'sa river nearby. Don't got any medical supplies but ya' can wash up and errything there just fine. Once you're stronger I'll take you back to the camp I'm at and have the folks there patch ya' up." However, she did seem a bit uneasy with that idea.

He watched as her eyes grew wide at the mention of others along with the way she plastered herself against the wall. He didn' blame 'er, obviously. People hadn't been too kind n' gentle with 'er during the what seemed like tha past week 'er so.

"Don' worry, I'll have one'a the women patch ya' up. I've gots good people back there. They're damn annoyin', but they won't hurt ya'. Not just men either. Gots women and children there's. Real nice. They'll make ya' comfortable."

With those words she seemed to settle down luckily. Shoulder's slumpin', breath exhalin' and muscles unclenchin' she seemed to be a bit more keen on meetin' those he'd mentioned now. He felt 'imself relaxin' too with her now at ease. These past two days had damn near had 'im run ragged with all of shit he'd been through and finally bein' able to let out a long breath of relief despite it all? Damn did it feel nice.

* * *

He'd carried 'er down to the river shortly after that so that she could get all cleaned up. He'd let her jump into the rushing water naked with 'is back turned to 'er, deciding that keepin' watch for those freaky fucks from yesterday or walkers was a bit more important than tryna sneak a peak at the bathing beauty behind 'im. He decided that for some reason ee'd rather have 'er alive and trustin' 'im than the image of that perfect pale body nude and glistening wet in the sun in 'is head for the rest of eternity. Even with the thought so damn temptin' he was sure to hold it back, scoldin' 'imself each time he even had the slightest to simply peer around the tree trunk he was leanin' against. Even when he could hear her splashin' and wadin' through the water he just stood there stiff as a board and did 'is best not to fantasize about the scene of pure glory goin' on behind 'im. And quite honestly he was fuckin' proud of 'imself. He'd never sown restrain or any type of care for any girl he was lookin' to get into the pants of but- wait, wait. He was _not_ trying to get into this girl's pants. She just almost got raped in the woods a day n' a half ago by some fuckin' loons and shot in the leg. He was sure as hell not gonna be tryin' anythin' anytime soon or probably ever. Even if she was the last piece'a ass left on this he wouldn'ta-

"Daryl!"

The high-pitched shriek quickly yanked him from his thoughts and practically threw 'im to the ground with 'is stomach that had dropped before anythin' else. Turnin' quickly, he clutched his crossbow and prepared to aim n' shoot it before sprinting down the small bank to where the soaking wet blonde was simply swimming in a calm circle within the river in water that came up to 'er neck. Lowering his bow, he observed the wide smile that was spread across 'er face as she began to paddle her way closer to shore, the water growin' shallower and shallower until her could begin to make out the swell of her breasts beneath her wet hair plastered over them.

He swallowed hard and glanced around uneasily as she came to a depth of water that stopped just above the area that counted and she held out her hand to 'im. "Come in." She said softly, her voice flowing through 'is ears like the softest fuckin' symphony he'd ever heard in 'is entire damn life. The way she spoke- so fuckin' gently and sweetly- it practically lulled him into unconsciously saying yes to 'er offer before he could snap back into the realization that if he accepted that water would be far from the only wet thing in these woods.

"Ya' scared the f-fuck outta me." He stammered, doing his best to change the subject an' keep his eyes from fluttering any lower than than her chin. However, somethin' strange began to dawn on 'im as well despite the glistening beauty standin' practically nude in front of 'im. Lowering his bow, he narrowed his eyes at 'er and took a small step forwards so that the cool rushing water could just barely lap at his boots, "How ya' know my name, blondie?"

She tilted her head to side confusedly, causin' him to practically throw 'imself up the bank and back behind that tree for some alone time as her movement caused the slightest bit of her left nipple to peek out from behind her dripping hair. He began to nibble at his thumb nail as she simply stared back at him with the most adorably naive look ee'd ever seen his entire fuckin' life. This girl didn't even fuckin' care that she was practically barin' all of 'er goods to this grown man who'd she'd only known for jus' about two days even after what happened to 'er. Though, after a few seconds he found 'imself comin' to the conclusion that this girl was quite fuckin' innocent when it came to all this mess. So inexperienced and pure it probably never even crossed 'er mind that she was temptin' 'im at this very second. He had told 'er that he didn't want 'er that way- hell even tried to play it off that she wasn't 'is type. She probably trusted 'im enough to the extent to that she saw 'im as someone she could lounge 'round with in the river with her tits all out and glarin' at 'im like the most perfect fuckin' pair ee'd seen in 'is entire life.

 _How the fuck did this girl even get away from a bunch of serial rapists?_

"You were talking to yourself when you were carrying me back." She spoke suddenly, her tiny voice barely audible over the rushing waves that almost completely drowned 'er out, "Saying, 'yer a fag, Daryl." She finished, the last part mocking his voice in a manner that made 'im burst into uncontrollable laughter. Hearin' someone that looked like 'er talk like that and say things like that was pretty damn hilarious he had to admit. Somethin' ya' didn't hear everyday.

However, as the two laughed together he started to notice something on her left wrist where the tattered bandage had been earlier. Somethin' that made his heart ultimately stop, drop and die within him. Somethin' that was truly the last thing he wanted to see on 'er.

A human bite mark.


	4. Chapter 4: Fireball

**Hello all! Here is chapter four of the updated version of my little fanfic! ^^ I'll have you know that there is no change to this chapter from the original version, however I'd recommend rereading it for the sake of remembrance and understanding!**

 **ALSO, I know that with these chapter's being updated people still have recent reviews on them from how they were before. If you  
are interested in reposting a review (as they do not delete with the updates) please, please feel free to post them on chapters  
that you haven't posted on yet and simply let me know that you are referring to a different chapter  
(not exactly best option but there are more!) or you can send me a PM and let me know what you think along with what chapter you  
are speaking about. I would truly appreciate all of the feedback on the updates of the chapters very much so, honestly.  
It helps me lots to improve and to inspire me to keep writing more! Thanks as well for hanging in there with me for this revamp.  
I am much happier with this story now as I hope you all are as well :)**

 **P.S. Also feel free to email me at aamaterashu (my gmail) with any suggestions, questions, reviews or if you'd simply like to chat!**  
 **Thanks lots, keep on reading!**

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Another blistering hot day in Georgia- not like those were rare. Another one of those days where if you looked into the distance the horizon wavered and practically was identical to that of a barbecue grill top with the fire set to the highest bar. Another one of those days where you had to wince and peel your thighs from plastic and leather seats after sitting for only minutes at a time. Another one of those days where you couldn't even go out into the pool 'cause the sun had almost damn boiled it. Another one of those blistering days that seemed just like any other. Oh, but it was far from another one of those usual blistering days. So far that the day seemed as if it was almost taking place on another god damn planet...

"Ellie!"

The girl's entire body jolted as she sat in the front seat of a dark SUV, startled, as rain slowly began to come down and cover the windshield in tiny droplets all the while the sky began to fade into a dark gray. She had been dozing off when she'd heard his uptight growl from outside, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Sighing sleepily, she sat up straight and looked around warily, observing the empty leather upholstery that lined the large vehicle and she began to wonder where everyone had went. When she had closed her eyes the seats were packed with military men, all hard-faced and dressed to their best in their naval uniforms, freshly pressed with each of their badges pinned neatly to their chests. She'd only been resting for what couldn't have been more than 20 minutes or so...Where could they have all gone off to so quickly?

Shifting her body so that her legs tucked underneath of her, she rolled down the thick tinted window at her side and stuck her head out to meet the stern gaze of her father; muscles taut and his jaw clenched. He was dressed in his uniform as well; hat, badges, cuffs, everything. He wasn't missing a single piece. Smiling at the stony expression among his face sweetly, pushed her head out further so that her long, blonde hair fell from the SUV and and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "You look nice." She told him softly, voice sincere.

She watched as he faltered for a moment; his eyes softening at the sound of her voice, shoulder's beginning to slouch, a small smile etching the margins of his cheeks. Though, he wouldn't let the sternness leave the atmosphere. Without replying, he came forward and opened the large door, causing her to tuck her small body back into the air-conditioned vehicle to prevent herself from toppling out. "So serious." She whispered in a pouty voice as he held the door open for her to get out, his statue-like stare straightforward and unwavering. He wouldn't even look at her, let alone catch her eye.

Frowning to herself, she began to slide out of the seat, having to dangle her bare feet for a moment or so mid-air due to her petite stature before feeling her toes hit the cooling asphalt. Smoothing out her rumpled white sheer and lace sundress her mother had chosen for her this morning, she planted her flat feet onto the damp ground to help regain her balance.

"Where are your shoes?" Her father asked, austerity practically drowning out the sound of his voice and almost causing her to wince at the sharpness. She looked back over her pale shoulder and searched the SUV's floor with a calm gaze to where she thought they had been before she fell asleep. "They were there when I dozed off..." She said, her voice low and her father exasperatedly ran his hand along his jaw. "I told you to be ready, El. We don't have a lot of time." He growled and leaned into the car to rake his gaze over the inside of the dark vehicle when the walkie talkie hooked to his belt began call out.

"Admiral, we've got a problem." The walkie spoke, the voice on the other end shaky and frightened. She watched from the side as her father's eyes widened to moons, his mandible clenching even tighter than before. She wondered how that was even possible. It already looked as if it was about to pop off if he grew any more rigid than he already was. With wide eyes she watched as her father quickly pulled himself out of the vehicle and just about slammed the door closed, snatching her hand a split second later and then quickly bringing his radio to his face.

"How many infected?" Her father asked as he began to pull her along behind him, practically dragging her. "The entire aerial unit has been locked down. None allowed in or out, no available aircrafts from what I've last heard." The voice responded with the faint sound of panicked screams in the background amidst the speaker's own frantic state. "Our only chance is 'round back the main building- I wouldn't take the chance of going through it." He continued, the sound of a door shutting and locking behind him sounding and the screams became more muffled. "And why is that?" Her father growled and pulled her closer, his grip tightening around the radio in his right fist.

Ellie stopped beside her father as he quickly pulled her behind another stalled car while they made their way through the parking lot. Stumbling slightly as he tucked her behind him and slid out his handgun, she saw what his precautions were for. A man- covered in blood staggering by them, moaning slightly with a severe limp. His eyes were hollow, dark and red around the rims, looking almost as if they were bloodshot. His uniform was torn drastically to the point where only a few badges remained upon his chest and he was missing a shoe. His skin- deathly pale. His mouth- covered in blood. His entire demeanor- completely dead. Gone. Lost.

She knew what he was within an instant and plastered herself closer to her father as he crouched low to the ground, pulling her down with him roughly.

"And why is that?!" Her father hissed into the radio, this time a bit louder, causing both of them to freeze as the battered pale man growled and looked in their direction. He shuffled slightly closer, letting out a frustrated murmur while his dark eyes searched the desolate parking lot for his meal. However, after what felt like hours but could've only been seconds passed he growled and continued to limp further up the puddling asphalt for a different kill, unable to detect where they had gone.

"B-Because..." The panicked voice began, stopping mid-sentence to let out a long, uneven breath into the mic, "We have lost all contact with main base, s-sir." The man finished, just about sobbing the sentence. However, when she looked to her father she did not see him falter one bit. He still had his jaw locked, eyes hard and muscles clenched as if the situation countering them was nothing- even though they both knew it was quite the opposite. Main base and/or the main building held the protection, security and manpower that they needed to get to the CDC unharmed. And without being able to access the infinite armories, vehicles and soldiers inside their chances were quite slim in getting there. In one living piece- that is.

"Alright then. Change of plans." Her father declared, clicking the safety off of his handgun as he stood up and scanned the horizon cautiously before signaling for her to stand up with him, "Send me three others. Tell them to meet me by the back entrance to main base and to come loaded. We're going to push our way through to one of the humvee's parked by the southern watch tower and exit through the gates."

"Sir, the gates are locked and the barricades are set to keep anyone out by now. I don't think you'll be able to leave through the south wing." The man spoke, his voice growing more desperate as he went on. Nonetheless her father's expression remained the same as he pulled her through the parking lot and to the front entrance of the main building where they could now both see had all of the entrances and exits blockaded. He tucked her behind him and cocked his gun, aiming at a dark figure limping in their direction that must have spotted them as they crossed to their current location. "And tell them to bring one of the bottle's of whiskey from the rec room." Her father added, this time a small grin forming across his straight lips once he fired the weapon and the dangerous figure fell to the ground. "Sir? Is this really the time for drinking? I think we'd have a better chance of getting out of here alive with you sober and coherent." The man, this time confused, asked over the walkie, his words thick with confusion.

"That ain't for drinking, Mathers." Her father snickered, "That's for killin' undead bastards." He finished, hanging up his radio and then sliding it back into the holster along his belt.

Ellie eyed her father as he continuously scanned their surroundings for more oncoming danger, even finding herself questioning his ways now. She knew he was a strange man, sometimes unethical, tended to be reckless on the occasion and hell, even sometimes he could be quite arrogant and indignant; always wanting to be the authority and in charge. But if she definitely knew one thing about him it's that he wouldn't be putting the lives of his only child and his own men in danger, especially if he knew the plan was bogus. With this thought she knew she could trust him- knew she could trust his action point and expect to get out of here like she was supposed to: alive.

Letting out a long, steady breath she eyed her father as he turned to face her with his jaw locked again, his eyes reclaiming the stone hard look they had adorned only moments ago. "You stay behind me." He told her, his stern, overbearing gaze locked with hers, "You don't let go of my hand, baby. No matter what happens you don't let go until we get somewhere safe. If something gets too close you yell, you let me know and I'll get it. I won't let nothin' touch you. You got that?" He practically demanded as he fastened her tiny hand into his, keeping his other one tight around the gun's grip. She nodded fiercely in response, her long, dampening blonde waves moving with her head as the rain began to come down harder- just about pouring now.

He nodded back to her before turning his gaze to the front, stealthily maneuvering their bodies to the left corner of the main building. He peered his head around slowly, scanning the wild landscape for any dangers before sliding himself and his daughter around the edge all the while keeping their hands locked so tightly together she was sure he was going to snap her wrist. She knew why he was holding on so tight though. Something she thought was impossible her entire life- something she thought that even in her dreams would never be reality- be the truth. But on this blistering hot day in Georgia, as the rain fell hard on their heads and soaked them all the way through to the skin, she knew it was finally happening. What she was told all her life was unfeasible, impractical, nonviable, unimaginable. Something that she thought wouldn't come true even after pigs started flying and dead people came back to life...

Her father was afraid.

In fact he was mortified- petrified. But who could blame him? He was drowning in this hell with the last thing he probably had left in the world: her. It was the two of them now. All the other had, all they probably would ever have anymore in this lifetime. They didn't know who was alive anymore. They didn't know who wasn't an undead monster trying to eat any living thing that crossed its path anymore. They simply didn't know. The only thing they did know anymore was that they had each other, and that was enough. You only need one person- one person is more than enough.

She stumbled slightly as her father pulled her harder and their pace quickened along the side of the building, her tiny bare feet splashing puddles in the ground when they practically began sprinting towards their desired location where they knew back-up would be awaiting them. Where they knew they wouldn't be alone anymore. Where they could meet salvation almost hand-in-hand. Things would be-

"Daddy!" She shrieked suddenly, plastering herself against the moisture-laden wall of the main base as a growling figure lunged at her from the blinding rain with outstretched arms, more than eager to tear her to shreds. Heart racing and stomach dropping, her eyes widened to moons just in time to watch herself bring up her right leg without even thinking as the reaking creature came at her. She dug her little foot into its gut as it charged for her, holding it at barely arms-length while it desperately tried to make deathly contact with her. She met the crazed, hunger-filled glare of a blood-covered soldier with mortified large brown eyes as it clawed at her, gnawing and thrashing about it as it tried endlessly to get at her, as if nothing in this world would be more satisfying as to sink it's rotting teeth into her flesh and tear her limb from limb and make her a satisfying supper. As if a bullet to the head was nothing as long as he got the smallest taste of her pale flesh. As if nothing mattered but her dying and becoming his. As if her death is all he could have possibly wanted within his entire existence. Her death. The end of her. The end of everything she once was. Everything she ever would be. The savior.

 _No. Not here. Not today._

Mustering up every bit of strength she could within her tiny body, she thrust it backwards into a growing puddle with a powerful kick and watched as it stumbled slightly, only to quickly recover from the shove and start at her again with an irritated moan. With its arms outstretched, teeth baring, she braced herself for its next attack by clenching her free fist and her jaw much like her father had always done, feeling her muscles tighten with adrenaline when suddenly a gunshot deafeningly ripped through the air and she saw the undead soldier crumple to the ground in a heaping mass. No longer coming for her. No longer able to touch her- to hurt her. He was gone now. His suffering was over.

 _While the entire world's has just begun._

She looked over to her father, his eyes narrowed to barely-visible slits as he held the gun straight, unwavering after he shot the thing dead- again that is. Unexpectedly, though, he simply asked her if she was alright before continuing to drag her through the pouring rain, not speaking another word while tightening his grip on her hand.

 _Too close._ They both knew. _Far too close._

Despite their close run in with the hungry dead moments ago she felt relieved. She was lucky, she knew. Having people so eager to keep her alive- people so loyal. Some people were alone right now as this hell broke loose worldwide. Shaking, trembling, crying, dying...alone. They had no one to hold them or tell them that things would be okay as they bled out or put gun to their heads. No one to look them in eyes and tell them they loved them before the end. No one. Just them and the pain and if they were that unlucky a walker or two. Lord knows walkers make the "best" company...Therefore she was lucky. The luckiest damn person that had ever walked this entire god forsaken earth.

She realized this especially, though, when she and her father reached the back entrance of the main building to find three soldiers standing alert. Each decked out in full-blown green and beige flecked army combat uniforms, all stocked with guns and canvas backpacks filled to the brim with supplies strapped to their backs. They each shot up straight as boards when her father appeared with her, right hand's raised to their eyebrows in salutations.

"As you were." Her father ordered quickly, bringing his daughter to stand in front of him, facing all three of the soldiers who had now settled from their military greetings. "You all see this girl?" He bellowed and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, clenching them tightly while they all nodded and replied with a series of "yes'sirs.", "She is your lifeline from here on out. She is the _world's_ lifeline from here on out. Every breath you take, every step you take, every bullet you fire is for the benefit of _her_. Her life is your life now. She is the _cure_." He told them sternly, voice so hard and cold she thought she could practically feel it in his palms against her shoulders, "I know this isn't the first time you all heard of this. I know you were at the briefing yesterday and you know what's going on now and how things are going to turn out. I know that you know all that she is the last one reported still alive on this entire _earth_. You know this, but I am still required to ask you all: do you understand me, soldiers?"

Her father sounded different. Far different from whenever she had heard him speak to his men before. He'd always been so grueling, so grave, so intense. But in the moments that he spoke his brief speech to the three troops in front of him he sounded worrisome- afraid. As if the words he'd spoke he could barely believe himself and although he meant them, he doubted them. It wasn't the potential of his daughter's ability to save them all from this plague that he doubted, but it was the sheer ability to get her where she needed to be that he doubted. He didn't doubt that his men were disloyal, he just doubted that they'd be able to keep alive all the way to Atlanta due to extremity now of the situation. He doubted himself, he doubted his men, he doubted the the willpower left in this world. And it practically killed him.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Each of the soldiers declared in unison with strong, devoted breaths. But she could see it in them too. She could see it in their eyes through the pouring rain that they are just as irresolute as her father. They were worried, however headstrong. They were hesitant, but sure as hell weren't going to giving in. And this, she knew, would ultimately be each of their downfall. What would truly cause them all to reach their demise.

Showing up to the fight is only half of it, but having faith in yourself and your men is more powerful than any weapon you could bring to the field. Believing you will all live, that you all will surive...that is what assures victory. Because a war where there is doubt is a war where there is loss. Because if you don't believe you can do it you can't.

You will fail. You will fall. You will die.

However, that was the difference between herself and the four men and women of service standing around her. They wanted to live and were willing to fight for it, however they doubted that they could do it. But her? She wanted to live. She was willing to fight for it. She did not doubt that she could do it. And as selfish and arrogant as it sounded, she could do it without them or the help of anyone else if she played her cards right. Her belief and self confidence didn't derive from her strength like theirs did. Nor did it derive from previous experience in the field of ass-kickery. It derived from the fact that she was immune- practically invincible. That all she had to do was not get torn to pieces, even though that may seem like a long stretch in the world they were now living in, she knew it was easier for her while the rest of them had to worry about every little nibble, scratch and drip that they received on their bodies.

However they were all doing this for the same reason as one another: for the sake of humanity.

"100 Yards." She heard one of the men say, his voice oddly enough cheerful, "Easy." Following his gaze through the blinding rain, Ellie was able to make out the faint outline of a large, tank-like truck in the distance beside the watch tower that controlled the gates of the southern exit. It didn't look hard- easy enough especially with a group as competent and able-bodied as her own. However...

"They're starting to group." She observed, her eyes raking along the growing crowds of undead beasts that were beginning to surround them from what seemed like every direction. "They heard the gunshot. They're attracted to sound, especially. 'Least that's the way it seems." The one female soldier put in, her eyes glancing wildly from side to side. She watched as her father nodded silently, his jaw clenched of course, while he gazed at the nearing threats through the pelting storm.

"'Right, then." He began before sliding his hands from his daughter's shoulders, "You have my whiskey I called for?" All four of the others turned to gaze at him with befuddled expressions before finally the large, towering dark-skinned soldier let out a long sigh, "Is that an order, suh?" Her father gave him a smirk before finally taking off his hat, tossing it aside, and he nodded. "Jus' 'cause the world's gone to shit, private, don't mean that my authority still don't stand." The young man gave him a hesitant look before reaching into the female soldier's backpack, thus pulling out a tall glass bottle that read _Fireball_ across it in bold red print.

Her father let out a smug chuckle as the bottle was tossed to him, making an amused face as he read the label. "Ironic." He remarked before turning back to his men and ordering them to hand over one of the bottles of kerosene stocked in the cheerful soldier's pack. She watched as her father suddenly tore part of his poly-cotton sleeve from his right arm before drowning it in the entire bottle of _Fireball_ in his opposite grasp.

"Sir?" The female soldier questioned, eyeing him with a bewildered look on her face. Ellie found herself smiling with admiration as her father poured the kerosene into the now-empty glass bottle with the _Fireball_ -drenched fabric fastened between his teeth. She found it funny that none of the troops figured what her father was doing at the moment. Obviously they should have known the technique- especially when a shy teenage girl certainly did herself- being the battle-hardened men and women they were.

"Molotov." She observed simply, earning an even bigger smirk in her direction from her father. They all gazed at him with wide eyes as he finally tucked the alcohol-soaked cloth into the filled bottled and looked to them, "Anyone have'a light?" He asked, biting at his bottom lip. Ellie watched with amusement as each of the soldier's had paused for a moment, not even registering what her father had asked before they all finally startled a second or two later and began to scramble through one another's packs for some sort of flame to please the admiral.

"Matches, suh." The dark-skinned trooper spoke, tossing her father a small white box. "Thank you kindly." He mumbled and quickly snatched one from the box before turning to them all, "I want all three of you to gather around her, form a blockade with your bodies and hold the formation all the way to the humvee. You go through there guns blazing- fuck the noise. I'm not comfortable leaving my daughter's fate along with the entire world's within the hands of the Swiss, you got that? You don't stop for nothing. You load her into that vehicle and you get to the CDC. Do you all understand me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Her father's plan was smart- clever. This she had to admit. While they all doubted his ways with his odd quirks and strange maneuvers they knew they could trust him- even if they didn't much so trust themselves. They all believed in this man. This well-decorated naval officer who was simply trying to save the only thing he had left, plus maybe the entire world but what's that compared to a man's only daughter? His plan though, it had a flaw. A large one.

"What about you?" Ellie asked, feeling her heart beginning to sink as her father looked down to her with sorrow-filled eyes. She always found herself meeting those eyes throughout her entire life whenever her father had to go away. She always found herself meeting those eyes when he was going away somewhere- anywhere, at that. She recognized them and knew what they meant: good-bye.

 _He was always bad at hiding those._

She looked to the ground now at her soaking bare feet, fighting back tears that pushed on the back of her eyes. Feeling the salty sting in them she quickly began to try and fight back the urge to fall to his feet and beg him to stay, to not leave again. Because every time he left he took a part of her with him. Not just now, but always. He'd always been going and coming back, returning her part to her once they were reunited after such forlorn separation. He'd always came back to her. He promised he always would. But on this day she knew that she was discovering yet another long-lived, well-hidden lie about her father that she never thought would come true: he wasn't coming back.

"I'm going to light this," He began, trying to ignore the crestfallen figure of his only child as she fought back tears at his side, "toss it over and distract them with the noise of the explosion along with the flames. I need you all to do your part, I will be right behind you once they're all distracted, I'll get into the watchtower and lift the gates along with the barricades. You don't wait for me, you got that? You go as soon as you see the gates begin to open. You wait for no one once she is in that humvee. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

And so the havoc begun with the throwing of a flaming _Fireball_ bottle. It made ear-splitting contact with a pile of oil drums only about 20 yards from where they were at the time, causing the ground-shaking explosion to nearly tackle her to the asphalt as the soldier's formed their way around her in a tightly-locked triangle, guns blazing. They were shouting orders and warnings at other another, ears-ringing, surrounded by fire, rain and blood splattering them all. It was like some kind of Bruce Willis movie- besides all of the reanimated corpses trying to devour them, that is. They had numerous close calls and run-ins with the undead on their 100 yard trek through the military base to their designated location, though. Each soldier practically stepped on her numerous times, almost playing pinball with her petite body between the three of them. The corpses came at them from all directions, trying desperately to get what they could from any of the ones with hearts still beating. From attempting to tear the hard canvas gear from their bodies to gnawing at the helmets upon their heads, they were relentless. Luckily, those still breathing were as well.

Nonetheless, they reached the Humvee in what felt like ground-breaking time strangely, putting aside their tiring adventure across the yard. For the first time this entire day something felt well-paced, the way it should be.

She listened intently for orders as the troops called out fierce orders to one another while the dark-skinned soldier stood with her and loaded the Humvee, covered by the other two. Once the final bag had been tossed into the large back area of the tank-like truck the soldier jumped in and held out his hand to the tiny, soaking girl. "C'mon baby, gotta go." He told her reassuringly, eyes full of fear. However, she found herself unable to take his hand. She knew she should have- no, she knew she had to. But at that moment her father was the only thing on her mind- and quite frankly was nowhere in sight as well. "My dad." She whispered, feeling her heart throb as the female soldier turned to look back at her. "He's in the watchtower." She said, eyes hard, "I saw him go in already."

 _Liar._

Not only could Ellie read the dishonesty in the trooper's voice, she knew that she would have positively seen him enter the tower. Her eyes had been plastered to the door of the lifeless, dull structure since they'd arrived beside the Humvee. Waiting, pleading for him to burst from the rain-veiled shadows and run to them with a relieved smirk on his face. But for some reason she could feel that he wasn't going to be. She knew that he had fallen with the crowd of walkers now only 20 yards from them. She knew he was gone. She could feel it. But she also knew that he had done his job, and now it was time for Ellie to do hers.

She turned back to the soldier's extended hand and placed her right one into his and he began to pull her up until she felt a sharp pain in her free wrist. It was as if someone had stuck a thousand knives into her and kept repeatedly pulling them out, only to stab them in deeper each time and grind them against her bones. She'd never felt anything like it. So painful, so ravaging, so excruciatingly torturous. That is until she saw what and/or who was causing this pain and she begun to feel a whole new type of agony fill her veins. Letting out a high-pitched shriek, she looked down to see a familiar, however now disfigured, face grappling her arm with ferocious hunger as it buried its teeth into her.

"No!" She cried, so loud that she felt her own voice burning her throat as a bullet met the skull of her attacker. She watched as it crumpled to the ground with an inaudible sound, releasing her arm as it met its final demise. No more life. No more hope. No more him.

But now, there was no physical pain. There were no words either. Sometimes feelings don't translate to words. Sometimes they can only manage to translate to silence. Maybe at times they could change themselves into actions once you broke, but never words. Words couldn't describe the feelings of loss now. Not anymore. Only sweaty palms, and a pounding head, all topped off with a half-filled and half-barren wasteland mindset could truly define who you were once they were gone. Never thinking straight, always lost, maybe once in a while you are somewhat indulged in society, but overall you know that you are squandering amongst an abandoned shell of what you used to be from when they were around. When you no longer have your own personality because they _were_ that personality. When you no longer have control of your emotions and thoughts because they _were_ that control. When you no longer feel or have that pulsating urge that keeps you moving through every single day because they _were_ that pulsating urge. Every single sleepless night that you will now spend crying out in utter silence just hoping that somehow- some way- they would come back and find you and somehow manage to put back together your shattered pieces that'd been scattered since they left. But no- nothing ever turns out so fairy tale, so perfect, so complete. Because while you are begging for them to come back and find you they have already drifted off into their dreams; their sweet, sweet dreams, that not even the darkest and most vile demons could drag them out of. Because they are safe. So safe, so sound, so free now. They wouldn't know how to fix you anyway after the things that you went through after losing them. Because they have never been so low as you. Because they weren't the ones that lost but they were the ones that _were_ lost. They have never fallen so far that there really is no point of return because of the emptiness, but only the sempiternal and savage illumination of your own mind is where you somehow truly feel safe because that is the only place they exist now. Nowhere else feels real besides the places that you imagine in your head because they are always in those places. They are still always there, but not actually here. So then you finally do manage to fall asleep once your exhaustion kicks in. And you drift so silently, oh so softly and sweetly, with such innocence it is toxic, into your own deep world of unconscious nightmares that you wish that you could never wake up from because that is where they roam. Your mind, your head, your dreams- they are the only places they exist now. But deplorably you always do open your eyes. And you are faced with another day of emptiness- the place that they used to fill.

Because this time they weren't coming back.


	5. Chapter 5: You and I

**Hello all! Chapter 5 is now updated and ready to read! Only two more chapters until we're back on track and I can upload simply without a thousand different announcements rip. Hopefully you all enjoy it! Don't forget to shoot me a PM with what you think if you've already reviewed this chapter as you can only review once sadly! Thank you, read on!  
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 **UPDATED  
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They'd sat there on the shore of the river for what felt like hours after Daryl had practically yanked the nude girl out of the water and confronted her about the mark on her wrist. She'd quickly snatched it away from him defiantly, claiming over and over that it wasn't his business until he simply told her to get dressed and to leave him alone. After that a word hadn't been spoken. He simply sat with his back to her along the bank and gazed expressionlessly into the rushing river, trying to sort his jumbled thoughts. As he kept thinking and thinking about every possible outcome that could fate the beautiful blonde he could simply only come up with ones which involved him blowing her brains out. He tried to somehow reason with hisself that amputation could solve their issue, but he doubted that it would work so long after she was bitten and/or that the girl would let him attempt it anyways. He wouldn't blame her for that. He sure as well wouldn't want someone hackin' off 'is arm- 'specially if it ended up being for nothing.

He ran his hands through his messy brown locks and exhaled shakily before letting his head fall against his knees as the pale beauty took a seat beside him. He watched as she crawled in front of him and stuck her head into the open space between his two legs and peered up at 'im with those big fuckin' chocolate brown eyes full of such innocence it made 'im want to spit.

He knew she hadn't done it on purpose. He knew she hadn't intentionally hid it from 'im, knew she hadn't wanted to endanger 'im. He knew she didn't plan on turning on 'im and devouring 'im whole like some kind of fucked up animal planning for 'er afterlife. Hell, this girl probably couldn't even kill a squirrel let alone the guy who'd risked 'is life to save 'er. She had do have a reason...had to.

"I'm sorry, Daryl." She told 'im sweetly, rollin' onto her stomach and usin' her elbows to prop herself up to gaze at 'im with those fuckin' eyes that felt as if they could throw 'im over the edge alone.

 _Them fuckin' eyes man._

He let out an irritated growl and looked away from 'er layin' between 'is legs and gazin' up at 'im like some naive lil puppy. It pissed 'im off that he had the urge to forgive 'er then and there and somehow live on as if it didn't happen. Sadly, he knew that couldn't and would never be the case even if she wasn't bit. This world was fucked up now. It was shitty. It was disgusting and shitty. It always was- even more all this mess. Her life would end by his hands now. He would have to stop 'er from hurtin' someone once she did change. And when she finally did she...Why hadn't she changed yet? This girl got bit at least almost two days ago and hadn't turned- let alone showed any fuckin' symptoms of a bite victim. And the bite sure as hell wasn't old. It was pretty damn ripe. Still had blood comin' out of it from the thin scab peelin' off in the water, still showed the soft pinky flesh that laid beneath it. She should have turned already.

He lifted his head slowly, noting as she craned her neck backwards so that she could still try and catch his eye as her mouth opened into a playful "O" and she kicked her feet back n' forth behind 'er.

Trying to ignore the urge to smirk at 'er, he kept his poker face on and let out an exasperated sigh before speaking, "Why didn' you tell me?" He asked her, voice rough and serious and her mouth slowly closed before she gave him a small shrug. "Because it didn't matter." She stated simply as if it really didn't- even though it really, really did.

Feeling frustration rising in 'im, he looked around the deserted riverbank before boring his blue gaze harshly into her dazzling brown one. "You didn' think maybe you'd turn on me, huh? Didn' think maybe you'd get me while I asleep?" He barked, his voice raising a bit higher than he purposely intended. "Or didja just not care, huh? Not care that the bastard who'd saved yer ass may die 'cause ta ya' _it didn't matter_? Or ya' just that fuckin' stupid that ya' don't get what happens?"

Daryl watched as the girl's emotions played out. First she seemed upset, then afraid, then caught between the two, then offended, then somethin' he couldn't really distinguish, then she finally seemed to settle with offended. Furrowing those thick, beautiful eyebrows at 'im she narrowed her eyes and slid her body upwards so that she was seated on 'er knees before she she bore her gaze back into 'is the same way he did to 'er.

 _The fuck's she lookin' at me like that for? She's the one who's bit!_

"Doesn't matter." She stated to him coldly, crossing her arms over her chest in the way she seemed to always do when she heard somethin' she didn't like.

"So doesn't matter you almost damn near killed me, huh?" He questioned the girl, only to have that stubborn look flashed in 'is face again with an overwhelming return of silence. Shaking 'is head, Daryl stood up and began to trudge up the steep, sandy bank that lined the rushing river towards the path that led back to the cabin with anger boiling deep within 'im.

 _Risk yer life for a stranger an' she says killin' ya' don't matter._

"Fuck em' all." He muttered to 'imself and hopped onto the dirt-paved path before turnin' to the sound of feet behind 'im, feeling his stomach drop as he repeated the words in 'is head.

 _Fuck em' all._

It's all he could ever say for some reason when he didn't know what else to. It was always the only thing he could ever manage to get out verbally, even though on the inside there was so much more he wanted scream so loud and so much that his lungs would burn by the time he was finished. But he wasn't raised that way. He was taught to always conceal his emotions- to be a man. If he ever showed any type of weakness he simply had it beaten out of him both mentally and physically until he felt so drained that it was almost as if he wasn't a person anymore. As if all these years after so much abuse for being something that a human should be he was now only squandering amongst a shell of a beating heart that felt nothing. And he knew how it sounded- weak and pathetic. Because it was. It was all of those disgusting things plus more but the thing that he never thought of was that those were meant to be there. Those emotions have a reason, a purpose, a justification that he simply did not want to acknowledge for the fear of being seen as "weak" or a "pansy". 'Cause if you're seen that way you're just as good as dead from where he came from.

 _Fuck em' all._

The words reminded him of a lot. However, they reminded him of the freshest memory he had of them besides the most recent with his blonde on a riverbank. The day right before he left camp to go on this exact hunt he'd gotten into a fight with the Asian kid who was only tryin' to get 'im to take someone with him on his excursion the next day for safety issues. The kid only wanted to help 'im and he'd damn near beat 'im and drowned 'im to death. And all he could say afterward was,

* * *

"Fuck all 'em." He muttered irritably as he flopped down onto his cot, almost completely overlooking Merle who sat in the corner with a rubber tie half in his mouth and the other half tied 'round his arm with a needle clutched in the opposite hand. Daryl made a disgusted face at him before rolling his eyes to the ceiling in disbelief as he heard his brother mumble something in response to his look and then inject whatever the fuck it was this time into his arm.

Daryl'd always hated when Merle shot up. 'Specially when he needed 'im to be somewhat coherent. In a world like this, if you go 'round doped up with no perception of anything ya sure as hell won't be lastin' long.

After a few moments of well-deserved silence that the youngest Dixon didn't mind all too much this time 'round, he heard his brother begin chuckle lightly, practically choking as he wheezed out a string of obnoxiously loud snickers and cackles. He rolled his head to the side with a scowl on his face as he watched Merle giggle almost hysterically at nothin'. Here we go 'gain. He thought, annoyed before running both of his hands over his face. "Can't ya go wear yer damn high off somewhere else ya nasty ass disgrace?" He snarled, "I don't wanna deal with yer heroin hiccups righ' now."

"Ya make big nasty angry out there 'gain, Darylina?" Merle suddenly shrieked, almost choking through his seemingly never ending cackles, "Ya eye up Lori or somethin'?" The younger Dixon clenched his jaw, feeling the irritation growing all the more fiery deep inside as his older brother taunted him, arm still tied up and the needle practically hanging freely out of it. "I ain't want none'a that bony whiny bitch. More your thing." He breathed, trying to ignore the overwhelming urge to throw his own body across the room and strangle the drugs out of his brother's system. Lord knows how bad Merle was when he wasn't all hyped up on opium, so when he was it was almost like dealin' with his own worst god damned nightmare. Between all of the insults, the constant laughing and giggling, the drowsy stories, the occasional sobbing and hell even the masturbating that time over time reoccurred whenever his brother was all nice and adrenalized from his most recent high, he didn't know what was worse anymore: Merle or the dumb ass ex-cop patrolling 'round the entire camp, glarin' at 'im like he fucked a four year old.

"From what I heaaard," Merle started, pausing for a moment to laugh hysterically and clap his hands together like some damn retarded seal, "from the furry lookin' body-builder asshole that yewwww damn near drowned the Asian kid in the quarry." He smiled to himself, almost laughing as he heard Merle's sloppy words and how out of this world they sounded. "He wouldn' shut up." Daryl remarked, turning his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes, "Yellin' at me somethin' 'bout how I needed ta' be one'a the group or somethin'. How there's power in numbers or whatever I dun give'a fuck."

All he got from Merle after that was a series of breathless laughs and wheezes, leading him to go into some story about the first time he fucked three girls at once while he begun to sloppily roll hisself a blunt and light it up, thus filling the entire tent with endless clouds of pot smoke.

"Daryl!"

Annoyed and practically choking, the redneck sat up slowly to see Shane poking his head into the brothers' tent. He laughed when he saw the ex-cop's disgusted face once he breathed in the puffs of Merle's smoke and eyed the eldest Dixon's rubberband handiwork around his own arm, twirling the needle around his two fingers like'a windmill without a care in the world.

"Well, well, well! Lookit what we got here Darylina! We gots the popo comin' aftr ya now 'gain! Watchu do this time?" Merle croaked, falling backwards in laughter onto his cot. Daryl ignored his frenzied brother and shot Shane an icy look. "Ya come here to try'in get me ta attend some group therapy session or somethin'?" He muttered, taking the cigarette from behind his ear and sliding it between his lips with a bemused expression. He watched as the sweaty, big-eared oaf rubbed his jaw and licked his lips before setting his shot gun down and leaned on it, just simply gazing at the youngest Dixon brother with an unreadable glare.

"Well?" Daryl snapped, lighting up his cigarette and taking it out of his mouth for a moment so that he could blow even more smoke into Shane's direction. He smirked as the man just gave him an even more glacial look than Daryl had shot him when he entered the Dixon's tent. "Ya gon talk or just stand there eyefuckin' me like'a perv?"

"Damn near killed Glenn." Shane snarled almost immediately after Daryl had finished his sentence. Even Merle sat up at the sound of that. Daryl rolled his eyes, feeling utter annoyance washing over him as the words filled his ears. He bit his cigarette just tightly enough to keep it steady as he reclined himself back against the sturdier side of his cot, propping his feet up on the small plastic side table he had and folded his arms behind his head with raised brows. "That so?" He asked smugly, blowin' out another puff of pale gray smoke from the side of his grimace with the cigarette still between his thin lips. "Ho' shit brotha! Thas' a hate crime!" Merle bellowed, slapping his knee.

"Think you owe 'im an apology." Shane remarked and ignored Merle entirely, running his tongue along his lips as if he could barely stand to even be in the same room with either of the two redneck's. Anyone and everyone knew Shane hated being around the two of 'em. As if simply breathin' the same air as em' made 'im sick. As if he was some sorta saint and they were two unholy hellhounds sent straight from Satan 'imself to wreck his entire camp and override him in the running for head honcho of these damn pricks. As much as Daryl was tempted to tell 'im how much he couldn't care less about 90% of this entire camp, he decided keepin' his mouth closed was far smarter.

"Ain't owe no one a damn apology but me." Daryl puffed, his voice practically a whisper as he bore his gaze into Shane's, making sure he got the message loud n' clear with a simple harsh stare.

"...And that he wants ta see you."

Shane's final sentence, however, did get a reaction from him. He sat up at a leisurely pace, keeping his eyes locked with Shane's and he felt his smirk begin to wither away. What could the Asian fuck have possibly wanted from him now? Hadn't he done 'nough practically drownin' 'im? And hadn't he been causin' him 'nough trouble just bein' out in those woods today, making him so fuckin' angry he nearly killed 'im? And now he wants'a see 'im? An' then what? Yell at im'? He sure as hell didn't wanna waste 'is time listenin' to the sob story of some China man for the next hour and a half. 'Specially from one that he'd nearly choked the damn daylights outta.

"Rather not." Daryl finally said, practically spitting the words from around his lit cigarette as he shifted his gaze away from the ex-cop to the smoky top of the tent, "Don't wanna get m'self in even more trouble that I don't deserve to be in." The youngest Dixon took one more large puff of his cigarette before finally taking it from his lips, waiting for Shane's outraged response. However, as seconds turned to minutes he heard nothing but silence from the burly man- which of course was not only a surprise to Daryl but also probably to the entire damn world. Seeing as Shane wasn't known for his peaceful ways and/or keepin' to hisself when he wanted somethin' or had somethin' on his mind this sure as hell was somethin' new.

Looking away from the ceiling with the cigarette between his thumb and pointer finger, Daryl turned his eyes to Shane when he saw what had to be the hardest, meanest damn look anyone had ever given to 'im. His jaw locked so tightly that you could see the bone structure runnin' all the way to 'is forehead, bottom lip tucked back into his mouth and bein' bitten so hard it was probably bleeding, shoulder's so taunt and hands so clenched he looked as if he'd been constipated fer the past week an' a half. And quite honestly, Daryl found it amusing.

"You gon' drop a log in front of our tent er you gon' say something, big shot? 'Cause frankly I ain't all too keen of ya' standin' there checkin' me out. I ain't int'a that shit." He said, becoming a bit wary of the unwavering figure that blocked the only way outta the entire damn tent. Les' he damn tore down the walls. Arrangements could be made, though, and asses could be stomped without a second thought.

Shane breathed out an irritated sigh, keeping his same stance as before once speaking, "Jus' come an' see 'im. H wants to make things right or somethin'. Smooth it all over. We jus' want ya to come and shut 'im up, man. Least see what he gotta say."

Daryl glanced over at Merle once Shane had finished, relieved to see that he had ultimately passed out long ago after his first remark when the ex-cop had found his way into Dixon territory. Placing the cigarette, which had now burned quite low itself, back to its much-desired place between his lips, he sat upright and pushed his messy hair back with a hand and raised both of his eyebrows.

"Fuck all ya'll."

* * *

"Daryl, I didn't mean it like that." She told while 'im, tip-toeing painfully through the twig-laden forest floor in her bare feet behind 'im. Stopping and turning so that she was in front of him, taking a step back so that she could look up into his eyes as she damn near only came up to the top of 'is ribs. "I wouldn't do that to you. Not after what you did for me."

"Well, ya' did didn't ya'?." The redneck hissed, clenching 'is fists tightly to try and control 'is anger. He was angry, hell yeah, angrier than he'd been in awhile n' he'd been livin' with Shane for a good while now. He wanted her to know that but at the same time didn't want to upset the girl. Hell...he didn' want 'er dyin' an' have the last fuckin' thing she knows is hatred and n' anger. Wasn't really right, even he wasn't that hollow.

"No, I didn't." She whispered, clasping her hands behind her back and gazed down solemnly at the ground while seemingly trying to step over unavoidable twigs and rocks in bare feet. Daryl narrowed 'is eyes at 'er and began to grind 'is teeth.

 _This lil bitch is in denial, ain't s-_

"I'd never hurt you, either."


	6. Chapter 6: 48 Hours

**Aaaand the fourth and final chapter of today's update is now completed! Hooray! I know I said that I wasn't going to change Ellie's backstory, but I found that changing it fit the story far more than the previous version :)**

 **ALSO, I know that with these chapter's being updated people still have recent reviews on them from how they were before. If you are interested in reposting a review (as they do not delete with the updates) please, please feel free to post them on chapters that you haven't posted on yet and simply let me know that you are referring to a different chapter (not exactly best option but there are more!) or you can send me a PM and let me know what you think along with what chapter you are speaking about. I would truly appreciate all of the feedback on the updates of the chapters very much so, honestly.  
It helps me lots to improve and to inspire me to keep writing more! Thanks as well for hanging in there with me for this revamp. I am much happier with this story now as I hope you all are as well :)**

 **P.S. Also feel free to email me at aamaterashu (it won't let me type my full email for some reason so I am letting you know here that it is a gmail!) with any suggestions, questions, reviews or if you'd simply like to chat!** **Thanks lots, keep on reading!**

* * *

 **UPDATED  
**  
"Two days. Two god damn days and they still haven't gotten here? Man..fuck the CDC."

Ellie looked up to the man she now knew as Jack, or once the cheerful soldier as he complained irritably. However, he wasn't so cheerful anymore and she couldn't blame him for it. Who could be cheerful after all they had all been through in the past 48 hours? From narrowly escaping the overrun military base, to losing her father who was also their long-time, well-respected sergeant, to having the Humvee break down on an abandoned road, to having the CDC's back up being a day and a half late. Nothing much more could have possibly gone wrong until they attempted to back track and then had the Humvee end up fresh out of gas. So there they were now. Stranded, sweaty, tired and hungry with no idea where the hell they were. It felt like they were on one of those survivor shows where you'd be dropped off in the middle of the desert or the arctic and you were forced to try and live on your own for god only knows how much money. But, sadly, this wasn't a show. It was truthfully and utterly reality. Harsh, harsh reality.

"My old man used'ta call that place Crap Dick Central. 'Cause he said all that ever went on in there was a bunch'a crap run by dick's." The dark-skinned soldier she had come to know as Marcus said, chuckling at his own words. The female soldier, Grace, let out a scoff at his remark and shook her head as she leaned against the hard wall of the vehicle with outstretched legs and closed eyes. "Your old man ever have small pox?" She questioned, opening her eyes the slightest bit so that she could gaze over at Marc with a bemused expression. Marcus gave her a bewildered look and sat up from the space on the floor he was laying down upon. "No...Why?"

Grace snorted and let out an amused sigh, clicking her tongue testily. "Nothin', nothin'. Just don't think it ever occurred to your old man that those so-called "crap dick's" prevented all that kinds of mess- including smallpox- time and time again and he didn't even know it." Marcus gave her a smirk before nodding in agreement. "Never said he was the most intelligent man." The two let out a unison of entertained laughs before settling to a muffled silence of snickers and occasional snorts.

"My old man wasn't much anyways." Marcus spoke up after the two had settled down, his dark brown eyes shifting to the floor of the Humvee, "Wasn't 'round much, left my mama 'lone. Didn't pay attention to any of 'is kids 'less he wanted something..." Ellie watched him with a sorrowful gaze as he seemed stuck in his own memories for a moment.

Grace looked at him sympathetically and then prodded him with her combat boot-laden foot. "Sorry to hear that, Marc." She told him, her voice low and eyes sincere. The blonde smiled softly at this, though. She liked Grace a lot from only the two days that she'd known her. She was down to earth and practical, but at the same time very headstrong and understanding with a good head on her shoulder's. Smart, clever, not to mention quite gorgeous- even in her sweaty, exhausted state. She was tall and slender with a body to die for, at least in Ellie's opinion. She had light red hair that reached to the tops of her breasts and dreamy, green eyes that reminded her of what her uncle used to call "bedroom eyes", which adorned long, beautiful eyelashes that made her look like a mysterious super model. And her lips were so plump and full with a perfect puckered look that made her appear as if she was straight out of a magazine. Even in baggy khaki's and a sweaty white tank drenched in perspiration she was beautiful- absolutely stunning.

Marcus shrugged, his large grin returning to his thick lips, "Nah, don't matter shit ta' me anymore. He's probably gettin' gnawed on by some undead prostitute right now anyways. He got what'e deserved in the end." Grace let out an astonished gasp that was partly a giggle at his words, obviously a bit shocked about how careless he was for his kin. However, she seemed to understand and didn't judge him for it. As if she knew how completely possible it was to not care for someone who should have meant so much to you.

"Well, while you two trade war stories over tea I'm gonna change the princess's bandage." Jack spoke up and jumped down from the roof through the top hatch, making his way over to the the petite blonde sitting silently in the corner in a crouch as he was too tall to stand up straight in the cramped Humvee. He kneeled down beside Ellie, reaching behind her to undo the zipties that bound her wrists tightly without meeting her eyes.

"Man, is it really necessary to keep her all tied up like that anymore? It's been two days. If she was gonna turn she woulda already, no sense in keepin' her like that now. Looks uncomfortable." Marcus suggested, however Jack simply shook his head.

"Marc's right, we already knew she was immune. We took the proper precautions and now we've seen the results. No use in it now." Grace remarked, raising her eyebrows as the small girl pulled her arms free of the plastic ties and held her bitten wrist forward to Jack.

"Just being safe." He mumbled, gently peeling back the bloodied gauze that was taped to her skin. Wincing as he pulled it off and dropped it to their sides, she gazed down at it. The bite.

The ugly thing stared back at her in menacing silence, forcing the horrid memories from two days ago to flash through her mind repetitively as if reliving each traumatizing minute of them. From the moment she the rain started to till the moment her father's life officially ended, it all kept replaying in her mind like some fucked up visual biography of everything that went wrong in her life. From being the everything to losing it all. From being the one of them to the last one. From being someone's only to the only one. From being alive to only breathing.

"More like just being paranoid." Grace retorted, sitting up straight to glare at him. Jack clenched his jaw tightly and shot a flaming look of vexation at her from the side of his eye while still facing the blonde, teeth grinding and knuckles clenching. Ellie could tell the independent redhead annoyed him, or more so made him feel insignificant. They all knew Grace was the highest ranking cadet still left in this vehicle, therefore assuring her word always taken in first and obeyed without a doubt, however Jack always seemed reluctant to following her orders and was always questioning her overall authority. Such as when Grace had commanded them all to stay put and wait for the CDC in the place they had told the reinforcements they would be, Jack insisted that they back track to the highway they passed a few hours earlier and try and get into Atlanta themselves. Of course Grace didn't agree until Jack simply wouldn't shut his mouth about it and pestered her until her hair practically fell out. Ellie could read the man easily because of how vocal he was, his actions and words speaking just as loudly as the other. And honestly she questioned Jack. Questioned the way he did things, said things, promised things. Anything he did, really. He was far too power-hungry to be the one not in charge and he didn't seem all too keen on having a beautiful, confident woman bossing him around all of the time. She knew she'd have to keep her eye on him.

As Jack finally finished changing her bandage, laying on the fresh gauze after spreading on a thick, gooey transparent substance along the bite, he flopped backwards and gazed at the ceiling of the humid Humvee with a contemplating glare. He seemed to be debating numerous things in his mind at that moment. As if silently having a heated conversation with himself while the rest of them paid little to no attention to the fidgety clean-cut soldier, he bit deep into the inside of his lip and twiddled his thumbs while pondering something unknown to the rest of them. Something she was sure they'd all probably want to know...

"Ya'll wanna play another round of cards? Marcus asked, breaking the silence with his cheerful voice and a bright look in his eyes. Grace glanced at him from the side and shrugged before speaking, "Not unless you're gonna play gin rummy with princess over there again." She chuckled and nodded her head in the silent blonde's direction, "Pretty funny watching you get beat by a little girl nearly fives times smaller than you." Marcus let out a sarcastic gasp of offence and gave the redhead a defiant look, "I'd like to see her try and beat me at poker then! See how good she can fake a bluff." He laughed manically, though obviously joking with the two. "Still think she'd wipe the floor with your ass, Marc." Grace retorted, her eyes full of amusement. "Fine then! One on one poker tournament! Jus' me an' y-"

"Strip poker." Jack suggested out of nowhere with a long, sexy drawl from his place on the floor. He turned his head and looked over to Grace, raising his eyebrows at her with a teasing look, "Unless you're too _scared_ , that is."

Ellie watched with wide eyes as Grace glared down at the lower-ranking cadet laid beside her feet, an unreadable expression shadowing her gaze. Finally, without a smile and with a serious, taunting look in her eyes she shrugged, "Hope you like being naked in front of your boss and little girls, pretty boy." She hissed seductively and pulled her body closer to the middle of the vehicle.

Marcus let out an astonished gasp, this time serious and he eyed the two as they brawled silently with their gazes; almost as if challenging the other to a game of ultimate death. Alas, the dark-skinned soldier gave in and reached into his pack for the box of playing cards and shook his head, "Whatever. Probably be cooler that way 'nways."

She watched as the three soldiers, all equally sweaty and exhausted, shifted their bodies into a small circle within the middle of the Humvee and let out small laughs of disbelief. Marcus began to deal the cards, stopping mid-pull when he looked over to Ellie.

"What 'bout blondie? I ain't down with having a minor stripping in front of me no matter what condition the world is in." He said warily, letting the dealt card slip back into the deck with conflicted eyes. Grace looked to her with raised eyebrows before shrugging simply, "She gets to watch you scrubs embarrass yourselves and laugh with me. Just as good as winnin'. Right, El?" The redhead laughed, winking in her direction. She smiled back to her genuinely, feeling excitement rising within her stomach and she shifted her tied hands a bit into a more comfortable position.

"Right, then." Jack began, "What piece of clothing we startin' out with, maggots?"

* * *

As rounds began to pass each of the soldiers grew less and less dressed, sweaty bodies glistening in the rash sunlight that shone heavily through windows of the tank-like vehicle. They had started with putting their boots on the line, Marcus losing first to that stage- with no complaints seeing as it felt pretty good for his feet to be free, so he said. However, they each began to shed their clothing as levels passed on and on, becoming all the more bare with every little wrong card being dealt. Finally, as they each were worn down to their undergarments Jack told them he had a treat for them all.

"Pot? Really, Jack?" Grace gasped in disbelief as he pulled a single wrapped blunt from his pack and a brightly-colored lighter. He gave them all a seductive smirk and quickly lit it up, snaking the smoking paper between his grimacing lips. Marcus gave him an uncertain look before signaling with his pointer finger at him with a "gimme some'a that" gesture. "Lemme getta toke." He laughed and Jack snickered back, taking in a long breath of the reaking smoke before gingerly passing it to his counterpart.

Ellie watched with a conflicted gaze as they all passed it back and forth, seemingly forgetting about their ongoing card game and young girl sitting just behind them. After awhile the Humvee had began to become heavy with marijuana smoke, practically causing them all to choke on the secondhand puffs that littered the entire perimeter surrounding them. However, she truly found herself become uncomfortable as Jack offered her a go, a derpy smile dragging his face down.

 _"How 'bout it, stitch? Just one little hit can't hurt nobody."_

His teasing words made her stomach nauseous.

Personally, she didn't know how to feel. Her father'd always told her that if she even _thought_ about trying to smoke something- especially pot- he'd make her eat the wrapped grass and swallow it whole to teach her a lesson. He wasn't into drugs, obviously, and sure as hell didn't want his only child getting caught up in them either. Not that she could blame him essentially, seeing as he always worried about her becoming involved in unhealthy things like the high density of "kush" from him not being around so much. She'd always reassured him though that she wouldn't ever dare touch a single leaf of it as long as she lived. And she sure as hell wasn't about to break it to him now.

Lowering her gaze, she began to shift uncomfortably under all of their questioning eyes. Her father had always warned her about peer pressure- however she sure as hell didn't plan on it being like this and in this type of situation.

Shaking her head quickly, she heard an eruption laughs explode from Marcus and Grace, the two practically left wheezing as the embarrassed blonde did her best to not melt under their hard stares. However, she did not hear Jack laughing. The man had remained utterly silent since she'd turned down his offer for a go at the blunt unlike the other two, causing her to begin to wonder.

Peeking up warily at him, she instantly met his terrifyingly harsh glare that bore straight into her like a knife. His eyes weren't even narrowed- just wide as day and piercing her as if they were needles, repeatedly going into her like he enjoyed it. His jaw was locked aggressively, as if her declining his offer offended him personally and angered him all the more despite the enlightening environment. Feeling unnerved under his wounding glower, she shifted uneasily and forced her line of vision to stare into her legs that were criss-crossed below her.

 _It's okay._ She reassured herself while her stomach did somersaults numerous times in a row, practically causing her to become queasy. _It's okay._

"Aw, come on Jack. Leave her alone." Grace laughed and flicked one of her cards in his direction, "You're embarrassing her." Silently thanking the redhead, she gripped her bound fists tight behind her in hope of releasing some of her tension through them. However, Jack didn't respond. She could still feel his abhorrent glare searing into her, though. Still scorching into her as if she'd called him the most vile, offensive insult in the books.

"Jack." Grace warned, practically growling the order at him this time; voice now hard and serious, "Back. Up." Nonetheless the soldier didn't even show the slightest bit recognition for the woman sitting practically naked behind him. He was far too focused on the petite blonde practically melting under his stare; shifting uncomfortably, legs intertwining, letting out small, uncomfortable noises as his eyes continued to snake over her entire figure.

"Think you're too good for a breath of weed, huh?" He asked suddenly, voice cold and full of disgust, "Think you're too good for any of us, don't you, princess? 'Cause you immune or some shit? 'Cause your daddy was our boss?" Jack snarled, slowly turning so that his entire body faced her now, "'Cause I hate to break it to ya' but you ain't that special anymore. No one's comin' for us if you haven't noticed. And, uh, well, your daddy is dead." He told her matter-of-factly without a sense of regret even etching his voice.

At the mention of her father's death her head immediately shot up and she glared fiercely into his flaming green gaze. The man's face was tight- serious, blazing with a hot fire of hatred. As if he was angry at _her_ for all of the shit that had begun to unfold in front of them. As if all of this mess was _her_ fault. As if he was intentionally trying to get a negative reaction from the girl in front of him at any cost was the only way to somehow make him feel better and to get some sort of weight to lift off of his shoulders.

Fighting back the urge to spring forward and tackle the much larger man to the ground, Ellie dug her nails into her fingers and bit deep into her plump, pink lips and kept trying to repeat soothing messages through her mind that her father had always delivered to her.

 _Shit's only shit if you make it shit.  
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.  
One's eyes speak one's heart.  
Holding on doesn't make you weak, it makes you faithful and being faithful makes you strong.  
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.  
Swear each time that you'll mean it.  
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win._

She knew not all of them really fit her current situation and/or dealt with her discomfort, but just thinking of his wise words and comforting sayings brought her perpetual ease. One of her favorite's, however, did quite fit the situation.

 _Fear cuts deeper tha-_

 _"_ _Well, well, well. What do we have here?"_

Each of the soldier's along with Ellie turned to look through the opened back hatch of the Humvee to see four men standing there, each stacking high artillery and grimaces which practically mimicked that of the Cheshire cat's.

The one who had spoken, an extremely large man height-wise and weight-wise, with long curly brown hair which he pulled back into a ponytail with a matching beard as well adorned dirty, circular glasses that made him look quite creepy had already begun to seemingly size up the half-naked Grace in the back. The other three men were just as creepy as the ringleader honestly, with one heavily overweight, though not as tall as the first, the other a lanky boy who looked like he couldn't be older than nineteen or so with a gap in between his two front teeth and a man who couldn't stand more or less than 5'10 with a slight beard and a bit of a New-Yorker look to him. Nonetheless, the way Ellie saw it they were barely matched evenly in a four versus four dogfight with the other team loaded in pitbulls and rottweilers and the home team squaring up with only two rottweilers, a pitbull and well...a Chihuahua."

Just'a game of poker to pass the time boys." Grace finally spoke up in a lax voice, however Ellie could read her body language clear as day. She was taut, aware and ready to pounce at any given moment despite the overwhelming situation displayed before them as well as being dressed in only her undergarments. But that's what she found herself admiring most about Grace. The fact that this woman kept fighting no matter the odds…

"Looks like'a bit more than that if I say so myself, sweetheart." The New-Yorker spoke up, his accent matching his looks exactly as his gaze raked over the meager crew. He seemed just as confident as his larger, creepier counterpart.

Ellie began to shift closer to the other side of the Humvee, feeling herself growing all the more uncomfortable as the hungry eyes of the youngest member seemed to find their place favoring her more than the half-naked redhead only a foot away. Grace took note of this instantly and narrowed her eyes at the strange crew, gently setting down her hand of playing cards, "Nothing more than that other than us just trying to cool off. Right boys?"

"Yes'm." Marcus agreed right away, mimicking Grace's entire demeanor as he placed his hand of cards down as well. He was rigid, fearless and practically radiating with caution. Jack, however, did not respond to his higher-ranking militant. He had simply kept his seat in front of Ellie, blunt clasped between two fingers gingerly as he eyed the four men with an expression that the other two had lacked:

 _Curiosity._

Jack simply didn't seem wary of this pack of strange men who were eyeing up the women he was with like they were porn models of the sorts. And it wasn't even the fact that he didn't notice it it was the fact that he ignored it and simply did not _care_ _. Jack was not tight and rigid, bathed in discretion and ready pounce at these men. He was relaxed, serene,_ _nonchalant_ _. And this worried Ellie all the more so._

"Mm, I see." The ringleader observed, licking his lips hungrily as he ran his eyes back and forth between the blonde and redhead almost as if he couldn't decide which one he'd rather gaze at first, "Mind if we join ya'll then? We've been travelin' a mighty long time and think we deserve a nice break as ya'll have been."

Grace gave the man a fake friendly smile before shaking her head at him, "Sorry, only room for three in this game. I'd prefer to not bring in new players in the middle of a match."

"I dunno, Grace." Jack spoke up, his face straight without any hint of emotion upon it, "I never minded switchin' up the rules a bit." Ellie watched as Grace's eyes widened to bright green moons as she whipped around to glare at him through them. Even Marcus was scowling over at the other man with a look of fiery contempt now despite his normally calm and understanding manner. All three of them in fact were glowering in Jack's direction by now, silently cursing him and wondering what the actual fuck he was doing.

The shorter, heavier man observed their identical looks of pure disgust before he let out a deep, guttural laugh and he leaned against the opening of the Humvee, "You should try and be more welcomin' here like your friend, girl." He remarked, eyes practically undressing Grace as he spoke, "Maybe you'd find yourself in less trouble."

The defiant redhead stood headstrong nonetheless, seemingly unshaken by the four men squaring up to her and her crew.

As if for some reason their sheer size and ability didn't waver her at all and there was no doubt in her mind that she could somehow perform a plan that could get them out of this situation despite Jack's setback and their lack of ability to actually overpower the menacing obstacle before them. As if this was somehow possible. And it could only remind her of one thing.

Her father.

"Sorry, but my dad always told me not to start things I couldn't finish. Therefore I'd prefer to finish this poker game the way we started it- just the three of us. No disrespect." Grace told them, a hint of a venom n her voice. However, the four men didn't seem wavered just as the redhead did not. In fact they seemed to enjoy the independent front she put up while trying to somehow scare them all off with threats and silent violent promises. As if they would somehow work…

"Then sweetheart," The ringleader began, running his tongue along the outsides of his chapped lips, "You should listen to your daddy more often."


	7. Chapter 7: Immune

**Sorry for such a long wait on the final updates of the revamp all! I actually had both of these chapter's finished about two days ago, revised and ready to upload and saved in my document manager. I was going to wait to upload them once the Traffic Graph fixed itself buuut...that's been glitched (only displaying N/A instead of numbers and whenever I click on the link it simply displays Type 1) for almost a week for me so and after contacting support and surfing the forums and seeing that everyone else is having this issue as well I decided that I'd like to upload these anyways despite the issue :) I'm hoping you all send me reviews, favorites and follows to help compensate for this shitty glitch! I truly love hearing from you all! Lots of motivation comes from you all. I know that this is a revamp chapter so many of you are unable to post another review so feel free to shoot me a PM or an email at aamaterashu( ) (gmail).(.com) any thoughts, suggestions or criticism ^^**

 **Also! School recently started up for me on Monday! ;_; I know, terrible. Therefore I will probably not be posting as much, maybe once a week or so. Thanks for holding in there all! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **UPDATED**

Daryl simply stared back at the girl displayed in front 'im. Just stared at 'er. He didn't have words for that. He didn't have words for someone "caring" about him, let alone someone promising they wouldn't ever hurt 'im. Especially when she said it with such sincerity in 'er fuckin' voice. How the hell was he supposed to act? It wasn't even the fact that she had hidden the bite from him that was conflicting for him but it was the absolutely mortifying fact that no one had ever told him something so sweet, so loving- so heartfelt- before in 'is entire life. It was the fact that he didn't know why anyone would say it 'im. A good-fer-nothing piece of redneck hick trailer trash who don't care fer nobody but 'imself. Of course he'd saved her, but he couldn't see that as a good enough reason for her to really care about him though. A thanks and a pat on the shoulder would do just fine nowadays honestly. But promising someone something like that? That just…

"I'd never put you in danger like that." The girl spoke up, her voice a barely audible whisper, "Not after what you did for me."

Daryl narrowed his blue eyes at 'er and did his best to control his raging emotions that constantly took over 'im and forced an overwhelming confusion of anger and resentment to seemingly overtake 'im. He wanted to yell at 'er. Simply scream at 'er and call 'er every dirty insult in the book for hiding something like that and putting both of them in danger. But at the same time he wasn't sure what else he wanted or could do. He had no idea if he should have thanked 'er or if he should have given 'er a...handshake? It was such a troubling situation to be in. She was constantly causing him to be someone or something he wasn't, constantly causing him to think strange things that he'd never thought before and act in ways he never thought would be possible for a Dixon. She was already molding him into something that he never even knew existed. She was molding him into something he had never even known in 'is entire life. She was molding him into a person.

"And I know that..." She continued, her voice shaky and uneven as if she was constantly fighting back a stutter of tears, "That you deserved to know right away because of what you've done for me and how you've helped me and I am eternally thankful for that. But you need to understand that I hid this from you because it doesn't matter, not because I did not want to tell you."

"And why's that, huh?" He snapped, regretting instantaneously the harsh tone he'd said it with. But he didn't know how else to say it or even what to say. All he knew was that this girl that he'd risked his life for didn't value his for anything...or at least that's what he thought he knew.

"Why don't it matter that you put my life at risk you fuckin' idiot? If you were really eternally thankful you su-"

"Because the bite doesn't effect me."

 _ _Is she fuckin' serious?__

"The hell it don't!" He barked, wildly tossing his hands around in numerous gestures of pure ferocity and anger, "You think it don't matter, girl? Think ya' get a second chance 'er somethin', huh? 'Cause ya' fuckin' don't! Don't no one do! Ya' ain't fuckin' special! Ya' ain't shit! Ya' just a lost lil girl out in the woods with nobody- nothin'."

"I've got you."

Silence. Absolute, utter, deafening silence. Dead silence. Painful silence. Cruel silence. Silence that haunted the redneck almost as much as the girl's words did. The absolutely sickening sweetness and love she had said them with were enough to make 'im nauseous. And not even because he was disgusted by them but because of the fact that no one had ever spoken to him that way or said words like that to him in his entire life. The only thing Merle ever told 'im was "blood is blood, lil brother. I'm all you ever had and ever will have. No one's gonna love ya or take care of ya other than me". But those words that Merle had spoken to 'im, the ones that he had lived by 'is entire life, never did they once sound like the words this girl had told 'im in only a matter of hours. Never had the word's his own brother had made 'im believe like they were written in the bible themselves made 'im feel the way that this girl's did. Maybe it was because they were new, not recycled repeatedly like the one's Merle had always told 'im were the right ones- the only ones. And maybe because it was these words that were comin' from this girl who'd ee'd only known for a matter of two days that'd somehow managed to suck 'im in each time 'round as if she'd known 'im 'er whole life. As if her words overwrote Merle's simply because they came from 'er. As if her words were the ones to live by now. As if Merle's were nothin', never were.

"And you've got me, despite what you may think." The girl breathed, holding his gaze sternly as he deepened it while his fists found themselves clenching and unclenching every time she spoke, "I can tell by the way you act that you feel like you're alone in this world. Even before all of this you thought you were alone...and maybe you were, but now? Now you have me to care of you."

"Don't need no one ta' take care'a me. Don't need no one but myself." He growled, practically wincing at her words. This girl sure did have a way with 'em and had a way to get under people's skin- 'specially his- it seemed. He didn't like havin' people in 'is head, never did and probably never will. But this girl...? He couldn't find 'imself all too angry to have 'er wadin' around in 'is past and is feelings- or lack there of. Normally if anyone tried to tell 'im things like this, such as Glenn had, he'da knocked 'em into last Thursday. But with her? It was like she wasn't tryin' ta tell you these things in a matter-of-fact type of way, but more so in a way that she thought you needed to know them for your own good. Because the things that this girl seems to see in people? They aren't the things that other people see in themselves.

"I'm not asking, I'm telling. Too far along to be changing your mind about me now." The blonde informed him with a steadfast demeanor, seemingly as if his hard stares and gruff voice didn't waver her whatsoever. And maybe that's 'cause they really didn't, "You don't have a choice anymore. You lost it when you decided to go Johnny Bleeding Heart and shoot an arrow into some guy's neck in the woods to help out a stranger."

"Fine." He agreed and licked the outside of 'is chapped lips, taking note of how the tiny girl didn't even flinch at that, "But you gotta tell me errything. Why it don't matter- why that bite don't supposedly effect you or me. I wanna know I don't gotta worry 'bout you takin' a chunk outta me before you get all comfy-cozy."

The redneck watched as a small, sweet smile spread across the girl's plump lips and she gave him a small nod.

"Fine, deal." She agreed, shifting uncomfortably as she stepped on a patch dried pine needles, "On one condition." Daryl gazed down at her, a bit unsure at first as he met the playfully devious look that had begun to glow in her big brown eyes before giving her a small nod to continue.

"We talk about it over dinner."

* * *

"I've never had squirrel before." The blonde told 'im with a childish smile on her face as she bit into the chunk of charred meat that he had cooked thoroughly on a skewered stick before presenting it to her. He had almost laughed at the way her eyes lit up at the sight of it, as if she had just seen the most delicious cut of filet mignon that any person woulda damn practically drooled over. "My dad and I," She continued, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of 'is oversized flannel shirt, "we went on a camping trip before- just the two of us. And he killed a rabbit for us to eat for dinner to keep it...oh, what'd he call it...oh, yeah! Authentic." Daryl scoffed, rollin' 'is eyes at the sound of these people huntin' fer fun. Hell, when he hunted he was huntin' fer survival most'a the time.

"Well, long story short I broke down into tears and refused to eat it and we ended up burying it and had a little funeral. Just ate some Spaghetti O's instead that he'd brought just in case." The girl finished, her eyes lowering to gaze solemnly into the fire with a small grin across 'er face as if she was reliving the entire experience in 'er head after the story.

They'd been eating in mostly silence since they'd prepared their supper. After carrying the girl back to the cabin and patching up any major wounds she had with old rags they'd washed off the in river, they'd wandered around outside for a decent amount of time without speaking any words while gathering firewood and dry kindling. She had sat and watched 'im with wide eyes full of wonder and interest as he'd skewered the fresh meat and cooked it over the open fire for the two of em'. The adorable look in her eyes as she gazed at the charred meat once he'd handed it to 'er was probably one of the funniest things ee'd ever seen he'd had to admit. The way her mouth formed an adorable "O" shape, the way her mostly-covered hands gingerly grasped the stick when she lifted it to take a bite- it was just damn hilarious. Was as if she was a twelve year old boy seein' a pair'a tits fer the first time.

"What about you?" She asked suddenly, interrupting his train of everlasting thoughts before he shook his head lightly and turned his attention back to the girl's beautiful face being illuminated stunningly by the glowing fire in front of her. Feeling his breath hitch at the sight, he quickly took another bite of his squirrel so that he wouldn't have to speak. He'd rather not show any type of weakness to this girl, especially since she seemed so good at figuring out things that go on within people's heads, he didn't need her confirming them on the outside too.

"You never went camping?" She questioned again, tilting her head to the side slightly as she chewed a mouthful of squirrel.

"Think we had 'nough small talk." Daryl growled, throwing his bare stick to the side carelessly before searing his gaze into hers, "I gave you dinner like ya' asked. Now tell me 'bout your bite situation." He watched as the girl slowly stopped chewing, her eyes shifting to the side uneasily before she swallowed and sat her stick down gingerly before folding her hands neatly in her lap.

"You're probably not gonna believe me." She whispered, looking back into the fire now as she seemed to be trying to sort her thoughts into sentences while Daryl simply stared back at 'er.

"There's dead people walkin' 'round, ain't there? Think I'd believe in black Santa Clause or Puerto Rican Jesus at this point." He muttered and started biting at his thumb nail, however keeping his stare locked on 'er. The girl seemed conflicted, however she continued.

"I'm immune..." She began, fidgeting uncomfortably as she spoke, "The virus doesn't effect me the way it does everyone else. I..." The blonde let out an exasperated sigh before clenching her tiny hands tightly together, "I can't die from the scratches, the bites. When I die, I just die. I don't come back. I can't...I'm not like the others."

 _ _Immune.__

That sure as hell wasn't something he'd expected to hear- it wasn't even something that had crossed 'is mind. Ever since all of this mess he figured that everyone was just as screwed as the other. No chosen ones, no special ones. Just the livin' and the dead. No prophecies, no bullshit. And she sure as hell couldn' be lyin'. He'd seen the bite and been with her long 'nough to know that she woulda damn turned already if she was gonna.

"So yer like...the cure, or somethin'?" He asked quietly, trying to keep his calm composure and to remain serene as well to keep her just as subtle.

"Or somethin', yeah." She whispered and looked up to 'im with wide eyes before shrugging shakily, "I don't know a lot of the details, there wasn't much time to inform me of them. We were..." He watched uneasily as tears began to well up in 'er eyes as she pressed on, "We were on our way to CDC when our Humvee broke down and was blocked by abandoned traffic. We were waiting for back up when...when those guys showed up."

Daryl watched her for a moment silently before nodding softly, releasing his thumb from his mouth.

"Right then," He began, "I'll get ya' there. I'll get ya' to the CDC."


	8. Chapter 8: Innocence

**AAAAND HERE IT IS! The final update of the revamp! Feels good that I will finally be able to just post a chapter without all of the tedious announcements and updates ;o; Thank you all so, so much for holding in there with me through this hectic revamp and I hope you all enjoy the story now as much as I do. This is the final chapter anyone should have to worry about previously reviewing I believe unless you commented on one of the announcements :) For the chapter's seven and eight announcement chapter I will be deleting that after about a day or so along with all of the other announcements that take up chapter's nine through eleven so that I can post normally again :) Hope you all enjoy this chapter- it's a bit dark and depressing but action-packed and lots of people get what they deserve in it. You also get to see more about Ellie's background! Enjoy!**

 **P.S. If you have previously reviewed this chapter before the revamp please, please feel free to email me your thoughts, ideas and criticism at aamaterashu ( ) (gmail) (.com)or send me a PM! Thanks again, I enjoy the feedback especially since the Traffic Graph is down ;_; Truly motivating! :)**

* * *

 **UPDATED. REVAMP COMPLETE!**

"Man, today really is our lucky day." Tony spoke up, running his hand along the bare leg of Grace from the corner of the Humvee where they had her bound at the ankles and wrists. The men had overpowered them easily, especially with Jack doing nothing to fight back for some reason and tied up each of the soldier's along with their blonde girl and hauled each of them out of the tank-like vehicle to set them all up on the side of the road. None of them had been armed- not heavily at least- with the most any of their soldier's had was a hunting knife nearby as they had all been partially nude. The men had already ransacked the entire Humvee and took all that they wanted- food, weapons, ammunition- before turning to those who the supplies belonged to.

"So," Mike began, stepping in front of Marcus and Jack as he ran his tongue over thin lips, "What's yall's affiliations to one another anyways? I mean, from the looks of it yer all obviously military- 'sides blondie over there. She don't seem no more than fifteen er' sixteen, hm?" The large man observed, raking his gaze over them all contemptuously with his hands folded over his groin as if he was some high and mighty boss, "Quite a pack, I'm curious."

Grace glared up at the man with fiery green eyes as she spoke, "It's our job to get her to the CDC in Atlanta." The redhead practically spat the words, venom drowning out every ounce of voice she condoned while informing the gang of their intentions. She obviously wasn't happy about being thrown outside half-naked by a bunch of thugs, especially when she had major work to do.

 _But what woman would be?_

"How come she so special she needa go ta the CDC?" Randall questioned from where he was standing beside Ellie, his eyes barely leaving her as she spoke.

"That is confidential information that I am not authorized to share with you." Grace hissed, yanking at her confines as each of them let out guttural laughs of amusement at the woman's defiance. They obviously realized the upperhand that they held over the four of these people and found hilarity in the headstrong woman who seemed to not. Grace wasn't the type of person to recognize defeat, which is where they were wrong, however she was the type of person to not accept it and keep fighting for it even when all hope is lost and everyone else has given in. Just as she was doing now and had always done.

"Right then, thas' 'nough chitchat. If ya' ain't willin' to share I ain't willin' ta wait on ya'." Mike spoke matter-of-factly and shrugged before shifting his gaze to Marcus, giving the dark-skinned soldier a large, toothy smile before continuing, "You, my boy, obviously don't look like'a stupid man, however. Unlike yer lady friend o'er here. Ya' obviously know what is gonna go down here without a doubt- anyone with'a dick and a set'a balls can recognize that. However, what we don't know is if you'd like ta' join us on this fine evenin'?"

Marcus narrowed his eyes at the brute before him, seemingly sizing him up as he glared at him with his mouth in a tight line and a look of disgust mixed with disbelief spread across his face. Obviously he did not.

"Ya'll can suck each other's dick's 'till they blue n' purple 'fore I join in on yer fucked up games, _my boy_." Marc snarled, the animosity in his voice practically making him sound feral all the while he thrashed in his restraints, leading to no avail of him escaping. However, this elicited another round of hiccuping laughter from the gang of men before they settled down to mere snickers and chuckles so that their ringleader could continue."

"Kay then, guess ya' ain't so smart. Can take 'im out, boys." The man spoke, casually stifling a yawn as Dave stepped up with a bloodied hunting knife grasped tightly in his hands. Marc simply held the man's gaze with hardened eyes and a locked jaw as the man ruthlessly dug the knife into the soldier's stomach, causing a screech of pain from both Marcus and Grace. He repeated the action numerous times, twisting and jabbing the knife so violently into the other man that you could actually hear the noises of the blade entering and exiting his body each time it was withdrawn and ruthlessly driven back in. The others sat where they were bound, completely helpless, as they watched their comrade being brutally murdered right in front of them by a man who planned to do even just as vile things to the others. The sight was sickening- absolutely nauseating. There was blood everywhere. It covered Dave's hands, arms, face, pants, boots, everything. It drenched the road beneath them like an endless pool of warm scarlet. It covered the limp, bare body of Marcus from almost head to toe. It was an absolute nightmare.

His body had fallen to the ground beside Grace limply after the vicious assault where she then began to sob horrendously, her cries shaking her entire body as they practically turned to desperate screams that echoed through the abandoned road. They were so raw, so emotional, so desolate that Ellie could feel her heart breaking just at the sound of them. They filled her ears like song of a tearful chorus; ringing and raging through her entire body so violently- so deeply- that she could almost transfer the woman's pain solely from the vocalization of her cries. It was disheartening, absolutely horrific. It was disheartening.

Holding back her own tears of loss, Ellie observed the gang of thugs along with Jack who didn't seem taken aback by the death of a strong, innocent man- who was supposedly his friend and comrade- whatsoever. In fact the group of men had simply taken to sharing a pack of smokes before Mike then turned back to final remaining male soldier.

"Now you? Are you just as foolish and balless as your friend, son?" The ringleader questioned him, flicking the butt of his smoke to the side before inhaling a deep drag, "Or are you lookin' for some good time this evening, my friend?"

Almost immediately Jack responded, not one bit of reluctance and or hesitation in his voice as he spoke. He was sure, scarily sure and quick with his straightforward answer of a hollow, "Count me in."

Grace, still violently sobbing, sniffled incoherently before looking to Jack with an overwhelming confusion that clouded her watery green eyes like a viridescent storm. "W-What?" She asked him between sobs, watching in horror as Randall bent down to cut the ties around Jack's ankles before helping the man stand up, "What? What?! What?!" She began screaming erratically, thrashing around violently within her own restraints as they finally cut off the ties binding his wrists, "You bastard! You bastard!" She roared, jerking so viciously that she threw herself onto her side now as she met Jack's gaze ferociously from the ground. The soldier simply knelt down beside her and took her chin gingerly in his hand before stroking the side of her cheek with his thumb, a look of counterfeit sympathy spread across his maw, staring at the redhead silently.

"Why?" She finally sobbed, her dexterous and headstrong front finally beginning to deteriorate as her supposed comrade clutched her tearful face and gazed at her with no sign of regret whatsoever, "Why, Jack?" Grace pressed him as her tears fell onto the hand that held her in place, lips trembling violently as her bloodshot eyes bore feebly into his desolate gaze. Ellie could tell that by the way the two were simply staring at the other with such disgust, such hatred, such absolute revulsion that they went back farther than just this hellish road trip that had most definitely not been the beginning to the end of their friendship. The raw, unkempt emotions that fell from the two in pillaging, rushing waves a mile high were not something that could have just begun but had been brewing for months upon years of overwhelming contempt for the other. They just hadn't been able to truly release them and bring them out into the open to cope with all that had definitely been gnawing away at the strong bond they had to have shared. The bond had to of been strong- something seemingly unbreakable. If it wasn't they would be acting this way, "Say something, Jack!"

 _She's so desperate._

"What is there to say, though, Grace?" Jack asked her as he gently wiped away the newest tear that had fallen upon her bedraggled face, his voice barely a whisper, "What else is there to do other than to marvel at the fact of how fucked up this world is and how much more it was only going to become?" He breathed, his eyes narrowing as he spoke to the woman who was supposed to be his senior before bringing her sobbing face closer to his, "This world- it only brings out the worst in people. In fact, it brings out new people in people. That person they were a handful of days ago? That person is either completely gone or it is fading fast. It is slipping away without you even noticing it and even when it is completely gone you probably still won't notice it. For you will be far too focused on this new you to even remember the old you. And before you even know it, by the end of it all you won't be you. You won't even know there ever was a you. There will only be the hurt, the loss, the thirst for survival, the insanity. There will be no more you. You may as well embrace it early on."

 _He isn't talking about the walker's, is he?_

Grace stared at the man in horrified silence, trembling violently as he glared into her eyes for a moment before viciously throwing her head to the side and standing up to take his spot gradually beside the four other men. Mike stepped forward, nodding softly and patting Jack on the shoulder before speaking, "That was a beautiful speech, Jack. Very...enlightening." He said sarcastically before looking over his men, "Now...you do understand that you will be proving your loyalty and worth first, right, my boy?" Jack nodded slowly to Mike, a look of confusion spreading across his face as the other man spoke.

"Good. Then you will understand that our newest members never partake in the first event since their original initiation, yes?" The ringleader questioned Jack, beginning to circle him like a vulture with eyes like a hawk.

Jack simply followed the man steadily with his eyes as he spoke, "...Meaning?"

"To prove your loyalty you will watch us do what we wanna do to these girl's and yer gonna hold em' down fer us- keep em' steady while we...do our business." Randall put in, raking his hungry gaze over the two women before continuing, "Last time that was my job. I-I'm the newest 'sides you."

 _"_ Yep. An' he proved 'imself. Therefore he gets ta' enjoy 'imself this time." Mike laughed, a wicked toothy grin spreading across his face as he began to already fumble with his belt buckle.

"You've done this before?" Grace hissed, glaring up at them all from the ground with blazing eyes as she attempted to fumble restlessly with her restraints only to receive another round of loud laughter from the men.

"Oh, sweetheart. Did ya' not hear yer friend over here? Were simply..." Mike teased and gently stroked the redhead's bedraggled hair with his muddy boots, "...embracing the new us."

* * *

They'd taken Grace first. Taken her into the Humvee to begin what they had promised to start, thus leaving her outside with only Randall as the other four...took care of business. The young boy hadn't taken his eyes off of her for a second since they'd left the two alone to listen to their field day they were forcing Grace into. Of course Grace hadn't gone easily. Kicking, screaming, clawing, biting. Anything and everything she could do until it finally took Jack, Mike and Dave to hold her down and force her into the back of the vehicle. Ever since then it'd only been their laughs and moans and no sounds whatsoever from the redhead. Ellie knew she wasn't going to give them that pleasure at least.

"They tol' me I get you first." Randall spoke suddenly over the muffled sounds of the horror that was ocurring within the back of the Humvee. Ellie looked up to the excited young boy with narrowed eyes as he gently began to carress her leg, "They says I get to have you alone and then they'll go since I proven myself." The blonde pulled away from his touch and gave him a look of pure abhorrence, receiving a small smile from the gap-toothed boy in response, "Yer my type too. I mean...Nowadays ya' don't really gotta a choice but...when I saw you I knew I wanted you. Real cute, real young. Yer friend is real pretty too but I like you best."

Ellie simply glared back at the boy, feeling her stomach twist and turn obscenely as he spoke to her, his hand traveling slowly up to her inner thigh. She began to try and pull away, however the boy roughly grasped around her thigh and pulled her back into place and bored his wicked gaze into hers.

"I couldn' ever get someone cute as you before this." He explained, licking his lips as his hand found its way growing further and further until it began to find itself grazing where it counted, "Real pretty, real tiny. Guess it was fate I found you, huh?"

With that, Ellie forcefully yanked away from the boy, wrenching his wrist uncomfortably between her legs and he let out a cry of pain. She quickly began to scoot backwards and away from him as he rubbed his arm until he caught her eyes, narrowing his so that they were nearly slits. He speedily pursued the blonde, deftly grasping her ankle and dragging her back to him with an irritated groan. The much larger boy quickly overpowered her flailing form and rolled them over so that she was pinned underneath of him. Twirling the bloody knife in one hand while using the other to force her down by her bruised throat, he straddled the girl and shifted his weight onto her, causing her to let out a pained moan.

"I was just tryin' ta' be nice." He hissed, licking his lips tantalizingly while he began to run the tip of the knife along her soft pale cheek, thus leaving behind a small trail of Marcus's blood on the skin, "But you gotta be a snooty bitch 'bout it. An' to think I was even gonna be nice and gentle wit' ya' at first too." A devious smirk spread across his face as he bent his closer to hers, rubbing small circles along the bottom of her swelling neck. He began to grow closer and closer with each second that passed, causing her to begin to feel herself switching into survival mode.

She knew that she could easily bite him if he tried to kiss her, however she would have to deal with his counter strike of an already-bloodied hunting knife. Though, she could take a risk and easily parry it by head butting him. Surely it would hurt like hell, but it would be far less painful than having that splintering object driven into her abdomen like Marc- and far less deadly at that.

She also knew that simply playing along could work quite well in her favor. Casually leading him on, coiling her petite body around his, giving him those "bedroom eyes", pouting her lips- it would simply be easy enough. And maybe it'd work, despite the humiliation that would be everlasting due to it, at least she would always know her reason for faking lust towards the dangerous man. Maybe he'd buy her want for him and end up giving her an obsolete opening that could only occur if she obliged to his seduction- an opening that could prove fatal for him.

"Mm..." Randall snickered, now running the crimson-stained knife down her chest until he reached the dip in her dirtied white lace dress. Giving her a sinister grimace, he began to cut it straight down the middle teasingly and watched with hungry eyes as the thin material fell from her tiny frame to her sides. He raked his gaze all down her practically bare figure, licking his lips at the sight of her laced undergarments. "White too, huh?" He observed, leaning forward all the way so that his mouth tickled her jawline, "I've always had a thing for innocence. I thought you'd be a virgin too...Someone like you. Real cute, real young. Ain't even kissed anyone yet."

She let out a small startled gasp as his hand let up from her throat and began to travel behind her back before unclasping the small coverlet across her chest, thus revealing the pale glow of her breasts. Throwing the bra aside, Randall shifted his body upwards again to take in the view he had created while running his fingers along the very edges of the petite swell of her chest. After gazing at her practically long enough to memorize every detail of her figure, he moved downwards so that he now sat upon her shins. Biting his lip flirtatiously, he watched with melting eyes as he fumbled teasingly with the thin cloth covering her innocence while giving her a demonic grin that almost made her overlook the lumbering figure rising behind them.

Confusion clouded her thoughts before she finally realized what -or more so _who_ \- it was.

The mysterious shape was built like that of a man, bulky and fit, dressed in dark charcoal skin and nothing else but the thin layer of his plaid boxer shorts and a glistening coat of blood. The way the sun hit him from behind and shadowed his entire front made him look like something so scarily majestic it could've been a painting. The way his entire body looked as if he were just one big moving silhouette, outlined and contoured like a beautiful sculpture in some fucked up museum. He was so handsome even when dead.

 _Marcus._

The lonesome, dark and undead man -also her only beacon of hope now- was hobbling uneasily towards the two living bodies writhing on the ground only a few feet in front of him now, stumbling uneasily in their direction with a low moan that Randall obviously did not notice. Ellie swallowed hard and quickly took her eyes from the staggering figure and looked to the teenage boy atop of her who could seemingly barely contain himself before she began to prepare herself for the action that was about to ensue. She knew that with her attacker on top of her and shielding her from the heroic monster that inched closer with every second that passed she could make her do this- to continue on. Grace wasn't one to hold grudges or think of herself before someone else, and potentially making q break for it if she could somehow get a hold of the knife Randall had been assaulting her with for the past few minutes would be just as good a plan as any. She knew that her escape would cause her to be leaving a young man to his death and a woman who had done all she could to protect her to her own. She also knew, however, that Grace would want especially if that someone else was much more important to the world than she was. Grace was selfless, loyal, a true soldier...the best soldier. She was the only one of them left considering the position Jack was in now and Ellie simply knew what Grace would truly want now.

As the undead corpse of Marcus lumbered closer and closer, Ellie bore her gaze into Randall's and met his look of intense lust with a devilish grin. The young teenager gave her a small look of confusion before the wicked twinkling light returned to his eyes and he began to fumble with his waistband manically.

"Told ya' ya'd come 'round, huh, blondie?" He snickered and bit his lip as he let his pants fall to the ground where his knees were bent, "Yer gon' like i-"

However, he was inevitably cut short as the passing threat finally caught hold of him and pulled him off of the girl with a brutal force and threw him to the ground. That was when Ellie noticed something:

That wasn't a walker coming to her rescue.

It was Marcus- the living, breathing Marcus.

Heaving, bleeding, stumbling. It was Marcus. He was looking from the bound half-naked girl from the writhing teenage boy on the ground with his pants down with eyes of pure disgust before he stomped Randall's hand grasped around the hunting knife a few good times until he finally released it. Shakily bending down while grabbing at his stomach, he uneasily fumbled around for the knife before rising again and shuffling to Ellie.

"C-C'mon girl." Marcus stammered, "Turn 'round. Gotta undo y-ya' ties." He heaved, a thin line of crimson dribbling out of his mouth as he spoke.

Cringing at the sight and the cramp in her lower back, the petite blonde hauled herself upwards in sudden time to see Randall barreling over Marcus and taking them both to the ground with a _'thud'_. Ellie watched as the bloodied knife went skittering across the asphalt before it came to a metallic stop a few feet away from her. Switching her gaze uncertainly between the knife and the fight that was ensuing between the two men, she made a heart-wrenching choice to go for the only thing that could truly save the two of them:

The knife.

Letting out a pain gasp as she drug her bare skin across the burning pavement, she did her best to drown out the silent sounds of the two a yard or so away beating the living hell out of the other. Last time she'd looked Marcus had been on top with his hands wrapped around the much-smaller boy's neck, however with the gushing wound that the soldier adorned she was sure his upper hand in the quarrel wouldn't last too long.

As she finally reached the knife, however, and positioned her body so that she could clutch it on the ground she was able to glance over and see the man still overpowering the gap-toothed scum with strong, muscular arms pumping full of adrenaline and willpower. Smiling faintly, she quickly began to cut away the bindings around her raw wrists and heaved a sigh of relief as they fell away with ease. She quickly began to start on the ones around her ankles when suddenly an angered yell filled her ears.

Looking up, she felt her stomach sink as she saw Tony jumping out of the back of the Humvee while trying to pull up his sagging pants. Ellie felt nauseous as she put together the pieces and saw the large man start for her with a ferocious look in his eyes, causing her to desperately try and cut faster through her bindings.

Just in the nick of time they snapped off and freed her ankles, enabling her to shift onto her knees and meet the man head-on as he tried to tackle her and she drove the knife in her hand into his left eye socket with a sticky, suction sound. He fell forwards and practically atop of her with an ear-shattering wail as she released the handle and stumbled backwards to see Jack and Mike emerging from the back hatch of the Humvee as well, the larger of the two adjusting his pants in the same way Tony had before he pursued her.

"Run, Ellie!" The desperate cry echoed throughout the entire desolate road, practically making her burst into tears in the scene, "GO!" Marcus roared as Randall flipped him into a headlock and Jack started towards the two while Mike began to rush at her. Feeling panic overwhelm her and drown out practically every sense that she had, she quickly scrambled to her feet and took off for the woods that surrounded each side of the old, abandoned road. She felt the boiling heat radiating viciously from the dark blacktop stinging her feet as she dashed wildly to the trees which were growing closer with each stride in only a pair of panties. She heard numerous gunshots ringing out behind her, the deafening booms and bangs causing her ears to ring as one buzzed right past her ear and caused her breath to hitch in her lungs. However it was the next shot that caused the pain in her heart to almost swell and burst. It was the next shot that silenced Marcus mid-scream. It was the next shot that ended everything that ever was, that ever had been and ever would be the loyal, fearless and handsome soldier that had died to ensure her life.

 _Good-bye, Marcus. Thank you._

* * *

She'd ran. Simply ran for her life. She'd dodged bullets, she'd fought off rapists, she'd wrestled with men three times her size- she'd survived. She'd escaped. She'd done what others could not. She'd beat the odds. She'd overcome the overpowering force. But the only thing that could haunt her mind was,

 _At what cost?_

Despite her constant success in winning against the elements she couldn't help but feel as if she had still lost somehow. She'd left behind those two who fought so hard for her survival- those who threw themselves in the line of fire to keep her from harm. And she'd left them. She knew she had to, she wasn't stupid, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she should have stayed with them and took her beating as well. They didn't deserve to die that way- not Marcus and Grace at least.

 _Grace._

For the first time the name brought a different thought other than a lost life to her mind.

 _Was Grace still alive?_

There had been tens to twenties of gunshots that had rung out when she was fleeing the scene...any one of those could have been the one that snatched Grace's final breath from her lungs. One of them surely did Marcus, but Grace? Regrettably, she knew there was only way to find out if Grace had survived the massacre.

Returning to the scene.

It was by far one of the last things she wanted to do by far and she knew that neither of the two soldier's would want that whatsoever but she simply couldn't shake the feeling that she _had_ to know. She just _had_ to. If they'd left her for dead, left her to suffer she couldn't leave her that way. If she was in need of help she couldn't just...

Cringing, Ellie stopped mid-thought to look down at her own battered body covered in countless cuts, bruises, welts and bloodstains itself. From what she could see she looked absolutely horrendous. Worst thing's worst she was naked as well, adorning only a pair of panties that Randall had left her with...

 _Randall._

Just the name made her stomach do somersaults. The thought of the boy brought chills to her spine and an irritable itching to the wounds that littered her body. She couldn't believe he was really going to...

Shaking the thought, she simply hugged her knees to her bare chest as she took silent refuge underneath the overhang that sheltered her above the river. She was perched on a small, muddy bank hidden from sight by now and was exhausted. She hadn't slept in days- in fact she hadn't slept since the small nap she'd taken in her father's dark SUV almost three days ago. She hadn't been able to. Without him how could she? With everything going on how could she? Simply the thought of resting with the world falling to pieces around her seemed obscene...but now? Just the smallest bit of shut-eye would bring her to peace. She was exhausted- absolutely drained. Her body felt weak, her limbs felt limp and lifeless, her eyes were so heavy she could barely hold them open. The world could wait a few more hours...couldn't it?

Shakily, she shifted onto her bare side, not even flinching at the piercing shot of pain that tore through her body at the contact with the peaty ground beneath her. All she could do now as she laid there in painful silence is to watch the paths that stretched out seemingly endlessly along the side of the rushing river in front of her.

The paths. Everlasting, forestry paths. They lined the wild woods with trees and springy green plants, briers and countless types of shady pines and brush. They created an insanity of countless colors and shades, almost blinding her with its unfathomable beauty. The scenery before her was simply gorgeous; breath-taking. The sky was a washed textile full of pastel pinks and yellows and oranges, completed with the shades and hues of colors Ellie had never even seen before. Tall, looming trees that she was sure would reach past the stars wallowed and whispered in the gentle wind, creating a soothing sound that could calm the wildest raging bull to an infantile house cat, leaving them all with a pacified demeanor. The giant orb of glowing peach, however, was in the middle of the magnificent setting sky, bathing the entire landscape in a beautiful luminescence of calming hums and silent chirping of the few lingering crickets of a mid-summer's night. The smell was a cool mixture of tangy fallen leaves, tree bark and moist, trampled dirt that was tossed about everywhere around her fallen frame. An everlasting warmth of which had begun to spread amongst her body caused her heart to slow to soft and steady beat that made her once-frozen blood from the evening chill turn to a red stream of steady scarlet waves. Her hands began to tingle with a catalyst of small chimes, belling and vibrating within her whole body. Every thought of Ellie's slowed to an utterly perfect end that inundated her body with the realization of perpetual joy. The notion of ageless delight kept washing through her veins as she saw an unidentifiable figure moving close from the distance. She felt her wavering eyes try to zoom in on the features of the shadowy ghost-like illustration, though the intense aroma that flooded all of her senses had already come and blinded the small girl's adept apprehension. A gentle whisper began to lightly call out to her. What they were saying was unknown at this very moment and she could feel her ears straining to try and pick up the words that they spoke in mild paragraphs. The elusive dialogue of which this celestial character breathed softly was still uncharted to the barely conscious girl and the more she fought to try and listen in on their soft utterances, the lower the pacifying vocalization became. She opened her mouth to call out to them but her throat spoke no language, only the softening cry of the wind that had also began to die down to an infrasonic tousle of air. However, they grew closer despite her inability to speak with them. They grew closer and closer, lifting her up into the warmth of their arms before she finally could identify them as the man she had been yearning for so much these past three days. As the feeling of overwhelming safety and serenity overcame her she began to feel herself fading fast. She began to feel lighter, lighter, lighter and lighter until finally

Gone.


	9. Chapter 9: Gone

**Ahh god yes it feels so good to finally be able to simply upload this chapter after that stupid revamp! No announcements, no mess, no struggle, just revise and upload. They also fixed that damn Traffic Graph thing...but then broke it again. So now all of my views are gone :/ Thanks FF devs, good-bye hard work. Hopefully they fix that...again. And regain all of my previous views as well as the ones I gained during the time TG was down. Would be nice. But yeah, either way I'm glad this is done. I've been working on this for a few days and am glad to finally be able to get this out to you guys, especially since school has been so hectic lately. I'm happy I can still fit in enough time to update at least weekly. Also I am beyond excited to be getting reviews again! ;_; Special shout-out to jeanf for re-reviewing each of my updated chapters! It really means a lot to me to hear from someone that much and so positively, it inspires me so much and really boosts my motivation and my confidence! Hope you all enjoy, thanks again!**

* * *

It was late by now, probably an hour or so past midnight if anyone was still keeping real time. The sky was a deep, dark black overhead and hundreds of thousands of stars twinkled through the thick tree tops that sheltered the entire forest like a big security blanket. Crickets and cicadas were by now the only thing audible in the darkness along with the occasional hoot of a lone owl or the faint flow of the river distance. The fire was only embers by now and only the faintest pale orange glow shone through dwindling crackles of the charred wood.

They'd been out here for hours ever since he'd promised her an escort to the CDC safe and sound. They hadn't talked much after that, simply finished their dinner and shared a few small words before she'd fallen asleep on the ground, leaving him alone to contemplate the night in the silence of the early southern a.m's. Just his thoughts, the cicadas and sleepin' beauty.

Letting out an long exasperated sigh, Daryl buried his head in 'is hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms.

"The fuck ya' got yaself inta, Dixon?" He muttered.

* * *

Early the next morning Daryl awoke beside the dying fire and underneath of the misty morning's gray sky with a sleeping blonde across from 'im. The two had fallen asleep late into the night after their chat and dinner of cooked squirrel and just hadn't made their way back to the safety of the rickety old cabin. Obviously, he knew that sleeping in the open with loon's potentially on their trail and biter's roamin' at all times of day n' night wasn't really the smartest idea, but they were both pretty spent from such a dramatic afternoon. Not like a walker could do much to blondie anyways, since 'pparently she couldn't turn.

Scoffing at the overwhelming thought, the redneck sat up groggily and looked over to the comatose canon curled into a ball among the dead, dew-covered leaves. She looked so peaceful that way- so serene and calm. It was as if she wasn't even in the same world as 'im. He'd slept uneasily, constantly waking up every forty minutes, jolting in and out of uneasy consciousness, it sucked ass. Nonetheless he couldn't really even recall a night in which he ever had slept without waking every couple of hours or so- least not since his mama'd died. He guessed he was always afraid of burnin' in 'is sleep like she had. That was a story he never liked gettin' inta though.

Letting out a long sigh, Daryl stood up from the log he had slept against through the night while cracking his stiff neck before letting out a high-pitched whistle just loud enough to wake the balled up blonde. He watched with amusement as her big eyes fluttered open slowly as they gazed around the makeshift campsite for a few seconds before meeting his own drowsy gaze. She gave him a small, soft smile as she rose from the ground slowly, propping herself upright on her tiny bruised palms while lifting one to pick stray twigs and leaves from her long tangled hair.

"I feel wild." She giggled, pulling out a small clump of dried leaves from one of the curls at the bottom of her pale locks, "It's nice." Daryl snorted, stooping down to grab his bag and bow from beside the log before tossing them carelessly over his shoulder. He circled around the small firepit as the girl shakily began to get to 'er feet before stickin' out his calloused hand for her to take so that he could haul her upwards. She took it graciously, giving him a small thanks while he marveled at how light she was even with all of her dead weight draggin' her down. He knew she was weak from her days of unrest and lack of nourishment, not to mention a bullethole in her leg an' the fact that sh'was missin' shoes. Therefore he also knew he'd be carryin' her back to camp on 'is back. They were a good five and half miles from where his group was taking refuge by the quarry and if she could barely stand up on 'er own he was certain she wouldn't be making the trek through the woods without collapsin' every two minutes. That'd obviously just slow em' down even more.

"We're gonna go back ta camp ta'day." He told the girl simply, sliding the backpack from his shoulder as he spoke, "Need ta' get yer wounds n' all taken care of the right way. If we leave now n' keep on we'll make it back by late noon- take this." He shoved the backpack into her free hand as he finished, "Ya' carry that, I carry you. That way someone or somethin' comes I can still put an arrow in their ass without you in the way."

The blonde smiled sheepishly at his proposal, taking the backpack and sliding it shakily over her frail shoulder's, having to clench his hand a bit tighter at the pressure of more weight that caused her weak frame to falter.

"Easy now." He warned as she situated the pack firmly onto her back before giving him a small nod. "Right then, saddle up blondie." The redneck stooped down low and peered back at the small wavering girl with expectant eyes before placing his hand behind 'im for her to grab on to so that she remained steady.

"Thank you." She whispered as she wrapped her tiny battered legs around his waist and her matching arms loosely 'round 'is neck while shifting a bit before finally deciding she was comfortable. Biting hard into the side of his cheek, he did his best to ignore the pair of small breasts pressing into his back through his sweaty cut-off plaid as he started their way east towards the quarry where he could get 'er real help. However, after a handful of steps the girl suddenly asked 'im to stop.

Rolling 'is eyes, he reluctantly complied and halted beside a towering oak, "Whataya want now?" He growled, glancing back at the blonde who set 'er head on 'is left shoulder before replyin', "Could we make a...pit stop?" She whispered softly, causin' 'im to shiver as he felt her breath cause goosebumps to shoot up 'is spine. Clenchin' 'is jaw he sighed with annoyance.

"Whataya gotta piss?" He muttered, watching from the corner of 'is eye as the girl's chocolate brown ones grew to flustered moons. "N-No..." She mumbled sheepishly and looked away from 'im, "I just...I want to see if she's there." Daryl raised a brow, "She?"

The tiny blonde remained silent, seemingly unsure of her request before continuing, "She was one of the soldier's I was with when those...guys...showed up." He watched her cut up fingers clutch together as she spoke, practically trembling as she forced the memories to resurface so that she could explain, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left her behind without knowing. And if you don't take me then I'll go alone, I understand."

Daryl let out a "hmph" before lifting his right hand to bite and the nail of his thumb. "Ya' really are more trouble than a bushel'a assholes, blondie." The redneck muttered, shakin' 'is head as he bit off his nail and spit it back out onto the leaf-covered ground, "Ya' have any idea where ta' find 'er then? 'Cause I ain't wanderin' 'round the back woods of Georgia lookin' for some bitch that's juss as good as dead." He felt the girl stiffen at 'is words, causin' a small knot to form in 'is stomach as he feared he'd hitta nerve. The last thing he wanted was for 'er to feel even worse than she did already, "I'll take ya' to'er." He continued softly this time, tryin' to make 'is voice comfortin' to show 'er that he was sorry, "Just tell where she is, girl."

Hesitating for a moment before answering, the small blonde on 'is back seemed to relax as she realized that getting offended wouldn't help anyone, "The Humvee we were in is on a back road that branches off of Route 50. I-I don't know how far it is but...I need this." The last part of the girl's sentence came out drippin' with desperation. She was practically beggin' 'im to take'er there. He sure as hell wasn't gonna let'er go alone after all this time, obviously, 'specially after all they'd been through by now and all of the promises that now bound them by the wrists- didn't mean'e was happy 'bout it though.

"Ya' really are one lucky lil shit, girl." The redneck told 'er as he started walkin' 'gain, "Route 50's east, on the way ta' camp. Easy 'nough ta' get to within' day's walk and still makin' it back ta' camp with daylight to spare."

He felt a small smirk jerkin' at the corner of 'is mouth as he saw a new light illuminating the girl's big, brown eyes, "Thank you." She whispered, lying her head on 'is shoulder, "Thank you..." She repeated.

Daryl nodded a response of acknowledgement to 'er as he started for the outskirts of the forest, knowin' that ee'd have'ta get back to the highway 'fore startin' for the back roads that lined Georgia like the veins of the south. He knew 'is way, knew they wouldn't get lost long as they stayed on the right track. Hell, even if they didn't they'd probably still manage out just fine- he knew the woods and roads'a Georgia like the back of 'is own hand. He became familiar with em' at a young age from the numerous times he attempted to run away from the hellhole that he called home. He'd spend days- weeks- 'fore he finally chickened out, got hungry 'nough or lonely 'nough to return home and getta beatin' from 'is daddy 'fore bein' out for so long. No one was ever happy to see 'im 'gain. In fact they seemed angered whenever he showed back up at the house- as if'e didn't belong there. An' ta be honest he probably didn't. He didn't belong nowhere.

Feeling a lump growin' in 'is throat at the remembrance of 'is fucked up memories, he quickly tried to force the thoughts away and into the back of 'is mind like e' always did. It's the only thing'e could ever do to keep from collapsin' and havin' some sorta mental episode right there and then. 'Course he never brought that up or let anyone know 'bout em'. If he even brought up any kinda feelin's or emotion's anywhere near 'is daddy or Merle ee'd either get the shit beat outta 'im fer bein' such'a pussy or been teased and mocked so badly that e'd rather take the beatin'. Emotions- feelin's- they just weren't somethin' e' was used to or even really knew.

"My name's Ellie, by the way."

Nearly jumpin' outta 'is skin at the sudden sound of the girl's voice, he quickly redeemed hisself and let out a long exhale to try and clear 'is mind so that he could focus on the current world again. Lord know ee'd much rather that than relive the constant pain of 'is memories.

"I never told you my name, I realized." The girl said sweetly, a small smile parting her pouty lips, "It's Ellie."

Givin' her a small nod, he repeated the name of the girl in 'is head over and over until he thought it was 'is own. It felt good. It felt right. Music to 'is ears.  
 _  
Ellie.  
_

* * *

"I spy with my little eye something that's...purple."

They'd been walking for about three hours now, trudging through seemingly endless small streams, countless types of trees, yards of undergrowth and god knows what else before finally reaching the long stretching blackness that was the scorchin' hot hell of the Georgia highway. And of course blondie- or well, Ellie- had been takin' it upon 'erself to be pesterin' him into a game of "I Spy" for the past mile n' a half 'fore he finally gave in just to keep 'er from bein' so bothersome.

"The fuck you see purple?" He muttered, keepin' his bow aimed in front em' as he scanned every direction for any type of threat- livin' or dead. They'd made it this far without runnin' inta too much of either, mainly just a few stragglin' walker's and old corpses so far, none livin' yet. Thankfully.

"It's your job to find out! If I tell you it defeats the whole purpose." The small girl scolded, shakin' 'er head at 'im as she tightened her legs 'round 'is middle a bit as she slid slightly with each step.

Sighing, he gazed 'round the desolate asphalt that seemed to stretch on forever ahead of em' and to no avail found no other colors and or hues 'sides green, brown, black n' blue. "Yer 'maginin it, girl."

"I'm not _'maginin_ nothing, _boy_." She exclaimed, stiflin' a giggle that attempted to fight 'is way outta 'er mid sentence as she mocked the redneck's dialect, "You have to look closely- really, really closely. It's right in front of you."

Muttering under 'is breath, he simply kept on trekking along the blistering black road that was deathly silent 'sides the tiny blonde perched upon 'is back urging 'im to keep lookin. He had to admit he was quite surprised that she had become so chatty despite her recent situation and situation's more so be. She seemed to enjoy lookin' on the bright side, which was a rare thing nowadays or at least always had been for 'im. He'd never really ever found a reason ta. Nothin' too bright about 'is life 'fore all this- not that it was any brighter now.

"My bruise!" The girl finally cried, "It's my bruise, Daryl. You really are bad at this." Ellie sighed, resting her forehead on 'is shoulder so that he could feel her warm sweat against 'is bare skin. Was nice ta know they were both drippin' as much body weight as the other despite 'im carryin' an extra hundred or so pounds on 'is back plus 'is own backpack upon 'er, "You're turn now."

Biting into 'is thumb per usual, his eyes glanced 'round the highway once again to simply indulge in only the handful of colors that he'd observed countless times over and over 'gain each time it was his turn to spy somethin'. Sighing, he just went with what'e always did.

"I spy somethin' green." He muttered, tastin' the tang of 'is own blood against 'is tongue as he kept nibbling at 'is dirty thumb nail.

"You can't spy the trees every single time, Daryl. It defeats the purpose of the game." She pouted, squeezin' 'er legs tighter 'round 'im like she did each time he spoke of the green when it was 'is turn.

"But it's what I see." He growled, usin' a free hand to hoist her a bit higher as she slid downwards, "You tol' me to say what I see n' I see green, girl. So don't shit talk me."

"Fine, fine..." She sighed, simply laying her head down on the redneck's sunburnt shoulder in defeat, accepting the he was simply better with silence than road games- or any type of talking at that.

And they remained that way- silent- for another good mile before he suddenly felt her tiny body tense up 'gainst 'im and her head lifted from 'is shoulder to gaze up ahead of em'.

"There." She whispered, her voice trembling and uneasy as she spoke while her arms gripped around his neck a bit more tightly, "I can see it."

Narrowing his eyes to slits to block out the blinding southern sun, Daryl gazed ahead to see a large, black silhouette of something that looked kind of like a miniature tank up ahead 'bout a half mile.

 _That must be their Humvee._

"Right then." Daryl muttered, halting on the side of the road where he stooped down to the ground and gently patted 'er leg, "Want ya ta wait here 'case them all's still 'round."

The girl stared at 'im with wide eyes full of fear and remembrance before protestin', "Y-You can't go alone. Those guys you...you don't know what their capable of. They'll kill you." She whimpered as he untangled her limbs from 'round his waist and neck 'fore gradually lowering her down into the grass that lined the asphalt.

"'Zactly. If they here I don't wanna have ya' on my back slowin' me down, let 'lone havin' em' see ya." He informed her and went 'round 'er back so that he could reach into the pack that was still strapped 'round 'er shoulder's before pullin' out a spare knife, "Want ya' ta hold onta this and lay low. If ya' hear or see anythin' you run yer lil ass in the other direction, got it?"

"What about you?" Ellie whispered, her eyes glazed with an undeniable desperation that made the lump in 'is throat start to form 'gain.

"I'll fall back and track ya' down, easy's that." He told 'er matter-of-factly as if the entire ordeal was a simple run up ta the grocery store. They both knew otherwise, however, and doubted 'is plan equally if those men were still lurkin' 'round- nonetheless they knew they didn't have much of another choice either.

After finally settling her down in a small nook around the back road's he trekked the abandoned boulevard on high alert with a burning caution. Even though he didn't see much up ahead 'sides for one mound crumpled uselessly on the ground with another crouched over 'im on their knees, figurin' as much as it was'a walker on'a walker, he still maintained a dire sense of discretion towards the entire situation. He knew these thugs were a serious danger, even if they were impaired and without a ringleader now they were still packing firepower and a will for revenge against a certain pair. He also knew that they weren't the only threat anymore.

As he grew closer, about a quarter mile from the Humvee, he decided to duck into the woods that lined the back road for some cover in case things did end up going more south than they already were- literally. Stealthily maneuvering his way through the thick brush and towering trees he was able to see the tank-like vehicle directly in front 'im, now only a handful of yards away from where he was crouched. He was able to make out the unfamiliar walker that was making a human Happy Meal out of some half-naked dead guy sprawled on the ground with a hole in 'is head. Solemnly, he figured that was one of the soldier's that Ellie was talkin' to 'im 'bout earlier, however wasn't the _she_ that the tiny blonde was so hung up on. Frowning, Daryl realized that she'd probably met the same fate as 'er friend who was damn bout'a Manwich now.

Slowly emerging from the forest that he'd been taking refuge in, he scanned the rest of the area that surrounded 'im and the Humvee warily before strutting up casually to the walker that had risen and started for 'im with a hungry snarl. The redneck simply shot an arrow into its rotting skull, a smirk forming across 'is face with content as it crumpled lifelessly- or anymore lifeless than it could get now- to the ground with a satisfying _'thud'_.

Stepping over the twice dead corpse, Daryl made 'is way over to the still, mutilated form of what looked to be some black dude. Raking 'is eyes over the gruesome scene below 'im, the redneck let out a long sigh as 'is gaze fell upon the blood-splattered dog tags that hung 'round 'is neck.

 _This dude was doin' good for blondie, wasn't e'?_

"Poor bastard." He muttered, doin' 'is best to not flinch at the sight of the bullet hole that had taken its place right between 'is eyes. Pullin' 'imself away from the grisly scene, he walked a few feet over to the abandoned, ransacked Humvee where he saw somethin' that made 'im even more nauseous than the gnawed on half-naked guy only a few feet away.

A woman. Tied up, bound, restrained at the wrists and ankles with zipties that had found their way deep into her pale skin as she lay there motionless and completely nude on the floor of the tank-like vehicle. She was bleeding profusely and was curled awkwardly in 'er own growing pool of crimson blood that had stained 'er skin and matted 'er hair into endless tangles and knots. He could make out the vicious scratches, welts, cuts and open wounds that lined covered 'er entire body that made 'is limbs feel like he had no bones.

 _She was just like Ellie._

Lowering 'is bow, he sighed heavily and ran 'is hand through 'is sweaty brown locks before turnin' to the direction where he'd come from and thought about the young girl that he'd left behind to trek up here. The more he thought about it the less he wanted her to see 'er friends this way, even if it would help bring her some closure. Hell, sometimes no closure is good. It keeps you hopeful and motivated for something. If you already know the outcome of what ya were workin' so hard for then what do you have ta work so hard for anymore? It was such a bittersweet concept that could take so many roads of endless good and bad outcomes if he simply left her thinkin' 'er friend was still alive, but at the same time bringin' her guilt and worry to an end could fuel her just as much.

Clenchin' 'is jaw, he stepped a foot forward to start his jog back down to Ellie when suddenly he stopped in place, hearing an abrupt _'click'_ behind 'im. Feelin' 'is breath hitch in 'is throat he prepared to whip around and shoot an arrow into the girl he thought was dead.

"T-Turn around." The voice spoke shakily, as if the words were painful to speak, "S-Slowly."

He obliged, however keepin' 'is weapon drawn so that when he made a full 360 he and the battered redhead stood face-to-face with deadly weapons both pointed directly at the other. He took note immediately of how beat-up his potential assailant really was. From her bound limbs with the restraints digging deep into fresh day-old wounds from an elongated struggle within them, to the stab wounds that littered her bare stomach like someone just punched at 'er with a blade- it was sickening. This girl was supposed to be dead.

 _Just like Ellie._

"Where is she?" The girl snarled, her bloodshot green eyes narrowing to swollen slits as she questioned the silent redneck who simply stood there, unsure of how to answer.

 _Could this lil bitch think I'm one of those fucked up rapists? God damn my day just keeps gettin' better n' better..._

"Where is she?!" The bedraggled soldier screamed abruptly, leaning forward so that the gun was shoved directly against the middle of 'is forehead.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he narrowed 'is eyes to match hers before tilting his head to the side suspiciously.

"What girl?" He asked manically, his voice barely an audible whisper that caused the redhead's chapped bloody lips to purse with irritation.

"I know you know where she is. Those guys- those monsters- came back here. They were talking about some guy with a crossbow that took her. That was you. It was you, you bastard. Now where is sh-"

"Grace?"

The two turned as if synchronized to gaze in the direction of which the small, delicate voice had come from to see the tiny blonde limping out of the dim woods with wide, astonished eyes.

"I told ya ta wait back there ya dumb ass!" Daryl snarled, watching as the redhead simply dropped the gun she had been digging right 'tween 'is eyes a second ago to the Humvee floor while the petite girl stumbled up the small slope to the black asphalt, practically trippin' an' fallin' more than a handful of times 'til she made 'er way to the hatch of the large vehicle. When she finally did reach her destination, Daryl was about to stick 'is hand out to help steady her when Ellie simply fell into the shaking arms of the injured girl, 'pparently Grace, and the two began sobbing, desperately clutching one another as if holdin' on fer dear life.

Watching the reunion fold out awkwardly, Daryl let 'is bow lower to the ground along with 'is eyes as Grace began to hack and cough wildly between her sobs of relief and they only grew lower as e' heard Ellie's panicked voice rising when the redhead fell to the floor and began to hopelessly mumble something that did make 'im look up.

"I-I'm bit." She sobbed, curling into a pained ball on the floor of the ransacked Humvee, "I'm bit, I'm bit."

The redneck looked to the small blonde, feeling his stomach twist as he watched her dark brows begin to furrow with what seemed to be a mix of confusion and denial while she tried to juggle and withstand the current situation and emotions that were overflowing her all at once. She looked so troubled, so defeated, so...lost.

"They brought...they brought back that Mike guy after you shot him." Grace panted, breathing heavily and wincing as she fought to get the words out, "He didn't turn for awhile...but then he just...went awol. He got me, the others killed him after but...I don't...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She finished, the words coming out shakily and desperately as she painfully spoke each one. He could tell she wasn't gon' be 'round much longer. That much was obvious, even to the poor blonde

"No, no! It's okay, really." Ellie said, her voice trembling as if she was trying to trick herself into believing her own words, "Daryl said he...said he was gonna take me to the CDC with his friends. We're gonna- w-we're gonna get help and we can get you better, Grace. We'll be okay, it'll be okay. I'll fix you. I'm gonna f-fix everyone. Fix the world. Like we planned, right? Me and you. The last survivors. Us against the world, right? Us."

The redhead smiled, laughing gently as she clutched her arms around her bleeding stomach and she tried her best to keep from cringing, "You're going to shoot me." She whispered, coughing violently as she spoke and spitting up mouthfuls of scarlet puddles that stained her teeth dark crimson. By now her entire mouth, chest and neck were covered in the sticky, warm liquid along with her cut up bare breasts. He had to admit...she looked like absolute hell.

 _Because she's been through it._

Daryl watched as the small girl's eyes widened to horrified moons, cautiously stepping forward as she shakily lifted herself into the blood-stained Humvee to crouch beside the trembling redhead who was now heaving so violently that the veins in her pale, dull neck stuck out like long claws trying to escape her throat from the inside. She looked like a living murder victim- an absolute fuckin' nightmare. Everything about her screamed _infected_ , _hopeless_ , _lost._ Everything about her was absolutely fuckin' petrifying. To simply think some day that will probably be him if he wasn't devoured whole at once by a horde of those things. Crying, choking, heaving and bleedin' like an animal out here in the open or bein' torn apart like one's prey. He couldn' decide what was worse.

"No, no..." Ellie whispered, gingerly lifting the woman's head into her lap and stroking her matted red locks, "Cut her ties, Daryl. We have to hold her arms to help her walk." She told him without even looking up from the woman who's hacks were softly beginning to fade and her body began to rise and fall softer to a peaceful rest upon the girl's lap. Her glazed green eyes slowly began to flutter open and closed as if she was doing her best to stay conscious while her mouth gaped and shut gradually as if she was trying to say something, though all that she could get out was a few silent gasps, "Cut her ties!" The small girl suddenly cried, desperately clutching Grace's head as she slowly began to lose consciousness, "Help her, Daryl! Help her!"

However, the redneck simply stood there and gazed defeatedly at the sight before him.

"Girl." He spoke up, his voice tense as he slowly slung his bow back 'round 'is shoulder. Looking up to him slowly from the top of the woman's head, the blonde met his defeated gaze with confusion-filled eyes.

"No." She whispered with a cracking voice before they turned into wailing sobs, "No! No, no!"

That's when Grace finally went limp. Her mouth stopped moving an' hung open slightly, her eyes finally rested and stared forward blankly, she simply stopped movin' and was now just gone. He just kept starin' at the girl in the blonde's arms as if she was holdin' baby Jesus 'imself or some shit. Was unnerving, honestly. Jus' havin' the other woman on the brink of turning so close to the tiny blonde while she was cradeled so close in her arms. He was already thinkin' of her like she was some kinda monster. With that thought, though, he felt his heart begin to sink.

 _She's gonna be one though soon, ain't she? She gonna be one of those snarling, lifeless, grisly beasts within twenty minutes or so, ain't she? She ain't gonna be her anymore, ain't she?_

"Ya' gotta let'er go, girl."

 _We_ _were too late,_ _blondie_ _._ _C_ _ouldn't do it again._

It hurt, he had to admit. Seein' the girl havin' all of her hopes and plans just snatched 'way like that. To have someone she thought she'd brought back to life never even get a chance to properly get it. Grace not havin' a chance at all- that hurt.

 _Ya couldn't do it again._

Frowning to himself, he could feel a sudden wave of emotions crash over him while she began to try and keep speaking to the dead redhead in her arms. He watched as she laid her head to Grace's and kept trying to say things to'er, tryin' to reason with the gone girl as if begging and pleadin' could bring 'er back somehow, as if god was listenin' to her as she wholeheartedly emplored her entire voice into screaming to the desolate sky that stared back at them in silence.

This silence again. Motionless, empty, quiet. Neither had spoken a word once the girl's sobs finally died down to inaudible pleading whimpers before dying off and she simply stared at the lifeless head upon her lap. They didn't stay that way because they didn't know what to say anymore but more so because simply speaking now felt harder than it truly was. They each felt as if they'd lost their voices- completely just thrown them out to the curb as if somehow subjugating words was nearly impossible now. As if words hurt more than knives. As if words hurt more than bullets. As if words now hurt more than loss. Either way the words simply weren't there anymore and wouldn't be returning for god knows how long, truthfully. Quite honestly they weren't sure if they wanted them to.

Everything just felt as if it were gone.

The hope, the faith, the dream.

Gone.


	10. Chapter 10: 4'11

**Hello all! Glad I could update twice in a week! Though, this is more of a repaste of a previous chapter before the revamp. The whole quarrel between Daryl, Shane, Ellie and the quarry people. I really enjoyed this so I decided to reuse with a few tweaks to make it fit the new storyline. Sorry if this is repetitive for those who HAVE read my story previously to the revamp :c On the bright side there are a handful of parts that make this different from the older one! Sorry again, but please enjoy! Also! Sorry for falling short on responding to reviews. I am actually probably going to be doing that in an hour or so. I've just been so tired and busy lately ;_; Thanks again for reading and for all of your support!**

 **P.S. PLEASE, please, please don't take Ellie fighting with Shane like this as me making Shane out to be the ultimate antagonist in my story. I for one actually enjoy Shane as a character and will be getting more into rightfully understanding him later on :) I think he honestly reacted in a reasonable way in this chapter, maybe a bit violent but he's doing what he has to to protect those he loves. It's a lot for me to explain when it comes to him :'D**

* * *

He'd shot Grace in the head immediately at the request of Ellie. It wasn't something hard for him, death never was, but it was something life changing for the small girl who'd began to grow on 'im. She'd sat the woman's head down so gently before shakily climbing out of the Humvee to practically fall to 'is feet on her knees before tellin' 'im to put the redhead to rest. Daryl'd obliged of course, he didn't want to leave anyone there to turn like that, especially someone who had made such a positive impact on blondie- someone'd who'd tried so hard to help'er.

When he'd really thought about it, those two dead soldier's were the only reason she _was_ alive. Of course he'd saved 'er afterwards, but she wouldn't have even gotten that far without the two of em'. That's why he felt bad simply leavin' them locked up in the back of the Humvee to rot for the rest of eternity. They both knew they didn't have the tools nor the strength as well as the time of day to dig two graves for the fallen soldier's, but they didn't simply want to leave em' out in the open to get gnawed on. So they both agreed on layin' em' out in the back covered in his burlap blanket with a handful of flowers upon their chests. That part, though, _was_ the blonde's idea. Hell, if'e ever thought'a that he'd hang 'imself. He was a decent human being, but he sure as hell wasn't a fruit cake.

Once they had finished lockin' up the two and lettin' Ellie say good-bye to them for what felt like hours, he'd hoisted her back up on 'im and started down the blistering road towards camp.

They'd been travelin' in silence of course, something they'd both become accustomed to in this new world especially when things were especially shit. Hell, she wasn't even cryin' or snifflin' by now. He guessed she was exhausted from all the heartbreak back at the Humvee already and was just too drained to feel anything by now, even if it be sorrow for her comrades. Not that it bothered 'im anyways, ee'd always been one to avoid consoling others and kept the silence that they were so used to now close to 'is heart. However...right now?

He'd have done anything to hear something- anything. The absolute silence of her just sitting on his back, hanging on tightly, gazing lifelessly into the sky without a word...It was fuckin' painful. Even her naggin' 'im with _I Spy_ woulda done 'im better than this. For the first time since she'd stumbled inta 'is life a few days ago, he found 'imself tryin' ta make'er talk.

"When we get back ta camp I'll have Amy look at ya'. Or one'a the girls. Someone'll know what ta do." He started, biting at the side of 'is cheek uncomfortably as he continued, "If we gonna get ya ta the CDC alive n' well we're gonna have ta get yer wound stitched up and cleaned out with somethin' better than river runoff. How's that sound?"

Still no response. Still the same old silence that he'd been countered with for the past mile n' a half. Still the same old gnawing that made 'is stomach hurt.

"I think you'll like it there," He pressed, "There's kid's n' women. This real quirky Asian kid who gets on my nerves but he's decent. You'll like 'im. He's a cheeky lil fucker. There's some real annoyin' ones too though, but you'd eat em' alive from what I've seen."

However, his conversation starters still hadn't got 'er to say anythin', not even a small hint that she was even listenin' to 'im ramble on 'bout shit that he never thought he'd even be sayin' to another human being. But for some reason he was sayin' it ta her.

"There's probably some clothes more yer size too. My shirt ain't doin' ya much justice, stitch. Some shoes ta. 'Cause havin' ya spider-monkeyin' me for six miles ain't really my style."

That, surprisingly, did get somethin' outta 'er.

"I doubt anyone will have anything to fit me." She whispered against his neck, causin' 'im to freeze for a minute 'fore startin' back up.

Raisin' a brow, the redneck glanced at 'er from the corner of 'is eye to see her large brown eyes gazin' back at 'im, "An' why's that?" He muttered, shifting 'is bow into one hand so that he could use one arm to haul her up a bit higher to keep 'er from slippin' any further.

"Because even when the world wasn't crawling with dead people my mother and I had a hell of a time trying to find me clothes that would fit." She explained to 'im, and immediately he understood. Hell, he didn't know why it didn't occur to 'im earlier since ee'd been marvelin' at 'er size since ee'd first laid eyes on 'er. He also knew sh'was probably right too. She sure's hell wouldn't be fittin' inta Amy, Andrea's or Lori's clothes 'less she wanted ta be swimmin' in 'em the way she was his. However, this was a good way ta keep 'er talkin'.

"How tall ya anyways? Like 5'4 or somethin'? Ya'd probably fit some'a Amy's stuff if we tied it er somethin'." The redneck questioned, situating both of 'is hands along 'is bow to scan the horizon once he got 'er be into a secure position.

She scoffed, cranin' 'er neck indignantly so that she could peer at 'im from the side, "5'4!" The blonde exclaimed and shook 'er head from side 'fore continuing, "I wish...I never even made it to five foot."

"The fuck are ya then?" Daryl growled, surprised as 'e watched while she glanced 'round sheepishly 'fore mutterin' somethin' under 'er breath that he couldn't quite understand, "Speak up, blondie."

"4'11!" She cried, her voice drowned out with embarrassment as she buried 'er face inta the back of 'is sweat-laden neck and he felt a smirk teasin' the corners of 'is mouth.

 _4'11. This lil shit._

"Don't laugh!" She insisted, her pink lips pouting at 'im as he stifled a deep laugh while he took a turn inta the woods that he knew lead up inta camp.

"Ain't laughin'." He snickered, shakin' 'is head while she settled back down against 'im, mumblin' incoherently to herself as he gingerly stepped over a small stream, "Just nice ta hear ya."

* * *

"Sonuva bitch!" Daryl cursed, ducking under a low-hanging branch with his blonde clingin' to 'im as the two became visible in the clearing that was encircled by Dale, Jim, Shane, Morales, Glenn, n' some other guy who the redneck didn't recognize, each with their weapons ready to swing n' fire. The redneck paused with surprise at first, startled at the sight before 'im 'fore 'is eyes settled on somethin' that made 'is blood boil and with this they all glared at 'im for a few seconds 'fore lowerin' each of their arms with sighs and mutters of relief.

"Ugh, Jesus." Shane growled, settling 'is shotgun on 'is shoulder n' rollin' 'is eyes at the youngest Dixon as he shouted out a string of curses while nailin' the walker that was gnawin' on the deer him and blondie'd been trackin' on their way back ta camp. However, he glanced back at the blonde on 'is back as she tapped 'is shoulder before pointin' 'round to all the men starin' back at' em'.

"Who the hell is that?" Glenn asked abruptly, obviously referring to the girl clutched tightly 'gainst 'im, 'causin Ellie to stiffen against his soaking back with fear.

"Thas' just the squirrely Asian kid, blondie." He scoffed, lowerin' 'is bow, "Ain't shit." Shaking 'is head, he started for the slope that led back to camp before stopping beside the walker head that the group of men had decapitated a few moments ago as it began to growl and gnash at the crowd, causin' Amy n' Andrea to gag and flee the scene quickly, "C'mon people, what the hell." He muttered before sending an arrow straight through its eye, "S'Gotta be the brain." He growled, dipping down to snatch the arrow back while clutching Ellie closer so that she wouldn't tumble off within the movement, "Don't ya'll know nothin'?"

And with that he simply started back up the slope to camp with the tiny girl clinging to 'im while the rest of the group stared after them in silence.

"Hey!" Shane shouted abruptly as if he only just snapped back into reality, the sound of scufflin' boots soundin' as they all pursued after the redneck n' his four foot lil terror into camp, "Who the hell is that?!"

Daryl ignored the countless threats and screams that trailed behind 'im as he started for the RV until he felt the rough, calloused hand of someone else snatch 'is wrist. Whippin' 'round in defiance, he tore his arm away from the tight grip of what he wasn't surprised to find was Shane's and he felt the blonde clingin' desperately to 'im as she was tossed about like a ragdoll on 'is back.

"Don't fuckin' touch me!" He hissed, lashing out with his bow as the large ex-cop started for 'im again, "She ain't yer fuckin' business!"

"You made her our business the second you brought 'er into this camp, man." Shane explained warily, liftin' a hand in an attempt to get the redneck to lower 'is weapon, "Now put that thing down n' just let us know who the hell she is, Daryl."

Scowlin', the youngest Dixon reluctantly lowered 'is weapon and shook 'is head at the group that surrounded 'im and the blonde, "Ya'll act like she could actually fuckin' hurt ya. She's the size of yer damn arm, ya fuckin' yuppie."

"She has wounds, Daryl." Lori spoke up calmly from the door of the RV, clutching Carl tightly to her hip, "We can't be too cautious nowadays. She could be bit."

Shakin' 'is head, the redneck shot the woman a furious gaze before speaking again, "If ya'll let me fuckin' talk maybe I could explain a few things." He spat, lookin' at the blonde from the corner of 'is eye to meet her mortified gaze that was darting from him, to the numerous armed men surrounding them, to the women n' children and back.

 _They're fuckin' scarin' 'er._

"Then talk." The man who he didn't recognize spoke up, eyeing the redneck with serene eyes and a gentle demeanor.

Daryl eyed them all cautiously 'fore letting out a long, exasperated sigh, "Can't we get'er some medical attention first? She got shot in the leg for christ's sake."

He watched as curious looks spread across the faces of the member's of the camp before Shane abruptly spoke, "An' who the hell shot'er, Dixon?"

"That doesn't matter right now, Shane." The new man spoke, getting a harsh look of disbelief from the bulky ex-cop who started to argue before Dale cut 'im off.

"Rick's right, Shane. If she got shot and they've been out in the wood's all this time she could already have a bad infection and will definetly need stitches by now. And god only knows if the bullet went clean through."

For once Daryl found 'imself thankful for the old geezer. Usually the old fart was declarin' the exact opposite of the youngest Dixon and constantly doin' 'is best to prove 'im wrong. But the fact the e' was takin' blondie's side over Shane's? That's worth a thousand sorry's.

The large man simply glared around at them all with a harsh gaze before letting out a sound of irritation and storming off to a tent that was much to Daryl's surprise not the one that he'd been sharin' with Lori n' Carl the past two months er so.

 _Looks like Shane's fallin' down in the food chain.  
_

* * *

"How she doin'?" He found himself constantly asking ever since he'd put the blonde into the care of Amy and Lori to get all patched up. The women had been tending to her nonstop for what felt like the past few hours, barely speaking a word to him as they made their way in and out of the tent with numerous buckets of water and medical supplies, giving him one- maybe two- word, half-assed answers that didn't give him any enlightenment whatsoever. Probably made him even more worried and restless than the deafening silence he was provided in the absence of their poor replies. _So fuckin' ironic._ But it pissed him off, honestly. The fact that they wouldn't update him on his lil' find when it was him in fact who'd found 'er and saved 'er, made sure she got back to somewhere safe where others could take care of 'er. God knows not repeat what had already been done to 'er previously. Honestly, lord only knows what coulda happened if a band of walkers found her before he did, or even worse if her attackers managed to catch up to'er and continue what they'd started. Just the thought made his stomach turn and anger boil from deep within him. He wasn't a lover, ever less a protector, but he sure wasn't into dudes pounding on a little girl in the woods and tryna rape 'er in broad daylight Made him really think what kind of beating hearts were left in this world. Made 'im sick. Made 'im furious.

"Don't know, Daryl. Not yet, at least. Too early to tell." Lori told him, not even looking him in the eye as she muttered the response, speaking almost as if he wasn't there, while pushing her way back into the tent with a bucket of fresh water in her thin hands. He grumbled something under his breath as Andrea stopped near him, eyeing the pacing redneck with an amused expression across her face. "You're really worried about her, huh?" She questioned, a smug grin parting her lips as she questioned and she crossed her thin arms over her sweaty chest. Daryl glared over in the petulant woman's direction for a few seconds before he decided that paying no attention to her would be the better choice and that keeping his ears strained for any slight sign of the tiny lil blonde's voice from earlier would keep him far more sane than a conversation with her. He couldn't believe it though. Even just a whimper woulda been nice at this point. She'd just been so damn quiet...With this much silence he was sure she was probably havin' a heart attack by now. He shook his head to himself, almost laughing, as he came to the realization that he'd never thought he'd see the day where he hated a woman bein' quiet.

"Never thought I'd see the day." This time Daryl did stop, turning his head so that he could glare at the amused face of Shane, the cop-pig who seemed to have appointed himself leader since the day they all got here. "Never thought I'd see the day," Shane repeated, "that I'd see a Dixon care 'bout someone other than themselves." He heard him chuckle at his own remark, watching as the tall, well-muscled brute folded his arms over his equally-sweaty chest with an entertained grimace that spread from cheek-to-cheek. Oh, what he'd give if he coulda just knocked that ugly, sly smile off that asshole's face and send him into the dirt wailin' and whinin' so loud that he drew every biter from a mile off to this godforsaken camp. He could see it now:

 _Shane's large body coiled into a ball on the ground, covered in his own blood and dirt as he howled and sobbed, "That sunna bitch redneck hick clocked me!" Clutching his jaw, the burly ex-cop tried to haul hisself upwards, blood dribblin' down from his nose and mouth as he called him erry' dirty name and insult in the book that even his daddy hisself woulda gave the bastard a look sideways. He could picture the the sweaty, battered man as he charged at Daryl again, only to meet another bloody demise and a fist straight to the face, knockin' his ass back onto the ground- this time unconscious. Instant satisfaction._

Daryl smirked to himself and quit his pondering, simply giving the pig a scowl before opening his mouth to throw him a smart ass retort until turning abruptly as he heard the flaps to the tent opening. This time Amy emerged, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, hands covered in crimson and she let out a long, exasperated sigh, a tired look spread across her face.

"Well? She okay? Her wound decent?" Daryl demanded, practically squaring up to the blonde whose mouth held the fate of his discovery this morning, and he only felt himself growing more and more impatient with every second of silence that ticked by. "Well?!" He bellowed, "You gon' talk er' not? Er' you just gon' stand there with that stupid expression on yer face pickin' daises ya dumb bitch?"

"Daryl!" Andrea exclaimed, practically sprinting forward so that she was in front of her younger sibling, shielding her from the angered redneck. "Talk like that to her again and I'll put a bullet in your head!" The angered blonde warned him, gripping Amy's wrist in her right hand behind her back with a wild look in her grayish-blue eyes. "Andrea..." The younger sister protested, snatching her wrist from her elder sibling's grip before snapping her gaze to the youngest of the Dixon's, "You need to chill. Getting fussy and pissy with everyone around you isn't going to help her." She growled at him, furrowing her brow in an attempt to look threatening, causing Daryl to snort in response.

"Not my fault ya'll won't even pay me the mind of day and lemme know how she doin'. Just trot on by and stick yer damn noses up at me with yer manicures and designer shoes. Won't ee'in gimme a few words when I's the one that found er'." He snapped back at her before shifting his gaze to the side where he could see Shane licking his lips, squaring up to him now, practically cracking his knuckles with anticipation. He could tell that sunna' bitch wanted to knock his ass on the ground just as badly as he wanted to return the favor to 'im. However, he was pretty sure they both knew that it couldn't be provoked until the other struck first- somethin' each of em' wasn't too keen on doin'.

"Thas'sa kinda why they ain't talkin', Daryl." Shane finally spoke, rubbing his stubble with a contemplating hand, "Tryna not pay much mind to the face that coulda..." Daryl turned to face him as he trailed off and Shane met his gaze steadily, Daryl narrowing his eyes to slits as he felt pure rage boiling deep inside of him at the other man's accusation. "Excuse me?" He growled, clenching his fists so hard that he could feel his knuckles turning white. "You sick mother fuckers think I-" He could feel his stomach doing somersaults as an appalled demeanor flooded his entire body, "Aw, hell no!" He bellowed, whipping around now to face Andrea and Amy, "You're fucked up! Sick- I tell ya'! I saved that girl! I'm the one who found her! Didn't touch her none like that n' didn't shoot'er! And if ya'll think I did ya' can shove it up yer asses! Ass'er yerself if ya' can even give'r the time'a day! 'Cause ya' sure don't seem to be too god damn keen on givin' to anyone else, that's fer sure, ya god damn fucked up, sick-minded pieces of shit." He spat the last sentence, feeling the venom in his breath as he spoke to them. Never in his life had he felt so vexed, so wrongly accused. And believe him, he had been in some nasty situations before with the blame all fallin' on him but this one? This one took the cake, for sure.

However, he wasn't able to say he couldn't believe that that they'd think that of 'im. Think he'd do that to the girl- strip 'er naked, that is and at least tried to fondle 'er or somethin'. 'Specially with the way his older brother waltzed through camp, eyein' up every woman within a ten mile radius that just so happened to catch his eye. Throwin' out sexist slurs and provocations to try and get 'em to sleep wit' 'im, maybe even just touch 'im or get 'em to pay him the mind of day for once 'steada just blowin' him off without a word. He wasn't like his brother, though. He knew they clearly were cut from the same cloth, but they sure as hell weren't sewn with the same stitches. They were both redneck good-fer-nothin' hicks with no care in the world but themselves, but god forbid he tried to flirt with some bony cooze that strutted through this camp with Shane 'round. 'Specially in the god damn situation they all plus the entire world found themselves in. And god forbid he wandered through the woods and stumbled across a lil' girl, practically brought to him on a silver platter and copped a feel while she was vulnerable. Hell no! He was a good-fer-nothin' backwoods hick who liked huntin' and booze, not takin' advantage of half-dead blondie's who are practically comatose and oblivious to the entire damn world! He knew they obviously thought he was touchin' 'er, ignoring the whole part of the wounds that etched across her skin. Even someone as stubborn as Shane could see that those cuts and bruises weren't fresh enough for Daryl to have inflicted 'em. But he was sure that they could come up with plenty of fucked up scenarios that would put him a sticky situation that he sure as hell didn't deserve to be in not one bit.

But their eyes. Their fuckin' eyes. Eyes full of content. Eyes full of accusation. Eyes full of uncertainty. Eyes full of disdain, scorn. Eyes that seared into him from all directions. Eyes that were full of disbelief, some with full of the purest and most utter belief. Those were the eyes that he felt the most. Those were the eyes that attacked him silently as he stood outside of the tent beside Shane digging into him the most. Eyes that believed the most disgusting lie he had heard in his entire life. Eyes that believed that lie without any sign of astonishment. Eyes that didn't know him. Eyes that knew nothing.

 _They all know nothin'._ He thought to himself, keeping his gaze locked forward, unable to meet the numerous glares that seared into his back, sides and front. _All know nothin'._ He kept repeating in his head.

What else was there to think, though? The girl as a whole was a god damn mystery, not just her past. From what he'd heard she didn't speak, didn't eat, didn't wanna be touched by no one 'er nothin' since they'd taken her inta the tent. And god forbid you try to redress her in something that fit her regularly. He didn't blame 'er for it too much, seein' as her situation wasn't the prettiest. She didn't know any of these people but him and god forbid they let him in the tent with'er while thinkin' he did what'e didn't. However, he also didn't half blame all those eyes for believin' what they did, however he couldn't help but become uneasy that they would come to that assumption from 'im. He sure as hell knew no one would think most'a the guy's 'round camp would do that. Someone like Morales or Glenn, maybe even Dale. And sure as hell not someone like-

"Shane!"

The two men both nearly jumped out of their skins as the shriek of Lori instantly yanked them out of their staring contest of mutual disbelief. In an instant he heard a high-pitched scream that followed the previous and he found himself half-heartedly able to identify as Ellie. Not a millisecond after her wail was continued by another long string of shouts and cries from Lori for "her knight in shining underarm sweat" to come to her rescue.

The two men bolted into the tent, both a bit afraid to what they might find considering the amount of noise they'd all been eliciting only seconds before. However the sight before him barely was what he expected it to be. Was far more one-sided than he expected. Least on the side he thought it'd be.

The tiny little blonde from earlier was curled into corner like a petrified puppy, facing the group that had just entered the tent while clenching her left wrist, which was bare now, in her other hand as if someone'd had tried to reopen the wound. She was still wearing his much oversized flannel shirt, her large chocolate brown eyes buck-wild with those long, gorgeous pale blonde locks sticking up in all directions as she shook violently.

He looked over to Shane and Lori now, seeing him hugging her and reassuring her as she fumbled with her words wildly, unable to get out one without stuttering and slurring so bad it was near damn impossible to actually comprehend what the hell she was sayin'.

"S-She's bit, S-Shane! She's bit!" Lori finally cried out, running her hands through her untamed brown locks that matched the petite blondie's in the corner almost identically, tears forming in her eyes. He watched in terror as Shane's eyes widened to moons, seeing the arm he wasn't clutching around Lori as it began to slide downwards to the gun on his belt.

"Wait, wait!" Daryl bellowed, moving so that he stood in the line of fire between Shane and the strange girl. "Whataya mean "wait", Dixon?! Ever since I've known you you ain't ever shown no damn compassion for those bit, let 'lone walkers! She's gon' now! Ain't nothin' we can do!" Shane retorted, shoving Lori behind him as he whipped out his handgun that was aimed straight at Daryl as the other man looked for a clear shot at the girl.

Daryl let out a shaky, uneven breath as his mind began to jumble together, searching for the right words to calm down the overbearing ex-cop with a gun pointed at his head. But in all honesty he had to admit that he was more worried about that bullet going through the blonde curled behind him than his own skull. Even he had to stop and wonder about that for a moment.

 _Daryl Dixon throwing himself in front of one of the infected to protect them from Shane? He'd be takin' that bullet fer her- straight through 'is brain. All that he was, all the he ever would be- gone- in less than a millisecond. For what? Sum' dumb bitch he found sprawled in the woods that he didn't even know?_

"Just lemme explain something's man..." The redneck breathed desperately and he looked over his shoulder at the trembling, pale, doll-like...now almost dead girl behind him. Even he, a hardened, souless, reckless Dixon found his heart breaking for her. Her entire situation was heart-breaking. Tied up, beat up, cut up, choked from what it looked like, probably molested to some sort of extent, shot at...Like damn, didn't Shane at least want to who and/or what happened to her? Want know to if they needed to watch out for those sick fuckers or if they were close? Didn't he have any damn sense? "...You gotta wanna know the truth to this..." Daryl told Shane as he shifted his blue gaze back into the toughened brown one. "Yer gonna wanna know..." The redneck clenched his fists as he felt his worry bein' replaced with anger the more he spoke aloud about this girl's incident and those who had've done it to'er, "Who'd did this. Who we gotta watch out fer. If they, ya' know, close or somethin' But there's far more to this story, man. An' ya gonna wanna hear it." He finished, keeping his intense stare locked with man who held not only his own life in a loaded pistol within his firm grip, but the petrified girl's behind him. The girl he'd had managed to save hisself the first time.

 _But can ya' do it again, Dixon?_

"Get outta here, Lori." Shane spoke up coldly, "An' don't let Rick in here, not yet least."

Daryl eyed the sweaty man scornfully, followin' 'im with his gaze as he rushed Lori out of the tent while reassuring her things were alright, only to stop at the entrance to give the redneck a contemptous look.

"We gon' tie'er up if yer gon' start talkin'." He growled, "Not gonna have'a damn time bomb in the camp runnin' loose and killin' sumbody." Shane continued, zippin' the tent's entrance closed with an angry hand, "Can use 'em old sheets we'd been savin'. Work jus' as good'iz zipties if y'know what ya' doin'."

Feelin' 'is stomach drop as Shane spoke, he began to feel it only go lower as the bulky ex-cop started over to the coiled up blonde in the corner.

 _You sun'uva bitch._

"Shane, getta 'way from 'er! Don' fuckin' touch 'er!" Daryl barked and started to tear his away across the small structure towards the two. However the other man simply ignored 'im and snatched the girl's unbitten wrist in 'is hand and began to try and pull her up, shoutin' at 'er like a damn dog. Tellin' 'er if she didn' get up and git movin' he was gonna put a bullet inner head then and there. That's when she began to go buck wild. Kickin', cryin', flailin' as Shane kept man-handlin' 'er. Obviously she sure as hell didn' like that. Anyone with'a mind woulda figured that out 'fore hand. But then again he's Shane and Shane don't do much thinkin'. She still didn' say a word, though. Just kept wailin' and tryin' to pull away from 'im as if he was the one who had don' that mess to'er in the first place. But as time began to pass and they fussed a bit longer- 'bout a minute in'a half- he had to fight to hold back a chuckle. Daryl had halted mid-way to them, watchin' with amusement as the girl who couldn't weigh more than a 100 lbs. practically drug Shane The Giant to the ground with all of her fightin'. It was quite the sight to see. Almost was like watching a bull trying to fight a duck, somethin' of the sorts- and the duck was winning. However, when Shane finally pulled 'er back to 'er tiptoes and went to grab'er side to try and keep 'er from movin' so damn much is when things got interestin'. Or, more so, when things got even more enjoyable.

The tiny lil' thing straight up balled her fist an' clocked 'im in jaw, forcin' the brute to release her one arm and take his other hand from her pint-sized middle. Stumblin' backwards a bit with an inuriated glare, Shane slowly stood up straight and began sizin' up the girl who honestly didn' have much to size up while flexing his fingers and licking his lips with anticipation as if about to pounce.

"You may been bit, sweetheart." The ex-cop growled aggressively, a frigid look of pure abhorrence boring into the blonde, "But I'm gon' kill you 'fore that damn fever does if you keep this shit up." However, the mini menace didn't seem wavered by his words whatsoever. She jus' kept that animalistic look in her eyes, stanced up to the man that had to be at least almost five times her size with waves of pure fear practically radiating off of her.

But, hell- could'e blame 'er? Two intimidatin' grown men runnin' at her and yellin, tryna tie 'er up again and kill 'er 'cause she bit? What the hell was she 'sposed to think? She didn' damn know these people. If Daryl was in her situation he sure's hell be flippin' shit the same way she was. Hell, he'd'a probably went for Shane's fuckin' gun by now and put a bullet 'tween 'is eyes. But this girl, strangely 'nough, seemed uncertain when she looked the two over each time. Seemed as if she couldn' damn make her mind up if she wanted to hurt the two of 'em or not. When she'd struck Shane she seemed to regret it at that very moment, s'if she didn' wanna hurt em' 'cause she wasn' sure who they were. At the same time, though, thas' the same reason she did wanna hurt em'.

Suddenly, at the sound of Shane's threatening words, the girl lunged for the exit, dodgin' between the towering man's legs and scaled the rest of the open floor in'a rapid crawl before unsteadily shooting up at the entrance an' wildly tryna unzip the long silver line that stood between her and her freedom. However, after aimlessly fumbling with the thin lock and throwin' open flaps, she found 'erself only starin' up at the strange man that had gotten her a place in this tent in the first place. Some white guy named Rick, 'pparently.


	11. Chapter 11: Time

**I hope you're all as shocked as I am for this chapter! Two updates in two days? I'm just as questionable as you all. And the fact that I wrote this chapter that just so happens to be my longest one yet (over 8k words) in practically one sitting. This one is so long I was thinking of actually splitting it into two different chapter's but though I might as well keep it as is. I wrote up a good half of it late last night and finished once I woke up this morning. Maybe since I'm on a long weekend due to Labor Day I finally had enough energy and time to really write so much. I have to say a lot of this chapter is derived directly from the show, though. Episodes three and four within the first season I believe. But I think it helped add to the reality of it ^^ I hope you all enjoyed it. And hopefully you all give me lots of nice reviews on this one because I really did work my ass off on it! ;_; Thanks again everyone, enjoy!**

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"So you're tryna tell me that this girl can't turn?" Shane questioned again for the third time since the group had settled 'round outside the RV. The sun had grown especially hot to finish off the day as dusk grew closer with only a few hours 'tween it n' midday. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky to even try and block out the blistering, glowing orb to help prevent any pesky sunburns by now and the heat only made everyone even more on edge. With everyone gathered 'round, sittin' on the dirt-covered ground, the RV steps or one of the fallen logs or a lawn chair breathin' and sweatin' all over one another didn't help nothin' either. Lord knows the tension and the mistrust sure didn't help lighten the atmosphere nonetheless.

"Ya tell me." Daryl scoffed, his arms crossed over 'is sweaty chest as he stood leanin' against the RV with a smug look directed at Shane.

After his quarrel with blondie in the tent and that new guy Rick bargin' in n' havin' to pry 'im off of'er, the ex-cop hadn't been too high on Daryl's list of asses to save. From there on Daryl had done'is best to explain the truth of the situation that he'd been tryna tell Shane from the moment he decided to go Rambo on the tiny girl when Lori started screamin'. After that they'd brought the conversation out inta the open for the whole group ta witness and settle the matter once and fer all.

"Well, I fer one think she's damn dangerous." Shane proclaimed, rubbing his head aggravatingly with narrowed eyes as the sun beat down hard, "She's bit, she's violent, she-"

"She's only fuckin' violent 'cause you were talkin' 'bout shootin' 'er n' grabbin' her up everywhere you fuckin' yuppie!" Daryl hissed at Shane, practically charging at the man until Dale barred his path with his arm. "We need to settle this withou-" Dale began, only to be cut off by the indignant counter of Shane. "Yer one to talk about feelin' up dead girls, Dixon."

Feeling the kindling fire beginning to rise deep within him again, Daryl flexed his fists and prepared himself to throw Dale to the ground if need be to get to big-eared asshole behind 'im. He'd just about had it with the damn accusations in this fuckin' camp- 'specially with someone as hypocritical as Shane doin' most of it. As if he was some sorta damn saint 'imself.

However, before the redneck could snap back and defend hisself, a small voice caused them all to turn around in shock.

"It wasn't him."

The blonde had finally spoken from where she was sittin', a distance from the group on a log with Glenn behind her, grasping a shotgun uncomfortably. They all knew the Asian wouldn't hurt 'er, let alone shoot 'er, but he would make her keep still and sure as hell wouldn't let her run off with as quick as he is. Guess that's why they gave 'im babysittin' duty.

They all watched with wide eyes as she began to shift uneasily under all of their gazes, still only adorning the oversized flannel rightfully owned by the youngest Dixon. He didn' mind though. Looked damn cute on 'er. Made 'im curious about what she'd look like wearing something else...Well, really, there were quite a few things he was curious about when it came to her. Though, he was damn sure by now she was just as curious about them as they were her. Curious about their backgrounds, curious about their intentions, curious about their personalities an' hell, maybe even their favorite foods if she was that interested.

Shane glared hard at her before taking a few steps forward, rubbing his lower lip angrily as if just her presence made him itch with vexation. Glenn shifted closer to the girl as she began to fidget with the ex-cop growing closer, however the two didn't make any sudden movements that would set 'im off.

"He didn't touch me...N-Not like that." She continued, looking up to Glenn who shifted his gaze away and lowered 'is shotgun completely as if tellin' 'er that all was good. She was still holdin' a hand over her bite self-consciously nonetheless as everyone stared at her in astonishment, her eyes eventually meeting Daryl's sincerely, "He did the opposite."

The last of her sentence came out almost as a whisper, though loud enough so that she was sure everyone else would be able to hear it. She wanted to make sure that they all knew the truth. She had heard them all arguing outside of the tent when Lori and Amy were tending to her and she wanted nothing more than to stand up for the rugged redneck that had come to her rescue more than once throughout the past few days and set the record straight, though the women wouldn't let her anywhere near him. It had made her uneasy to be away from him as he was the only person here that she knew and truly trusted. The women were nice, but they were a bit too iffy for her liking. Asked too many questions, jumped to too many conclusions, nothing like Daryl had been when he'd first met her. He was slow and patient, reassuring and gentle- something these people obviously didn't see much or any of from him.

"Fuckin' told ya." The youngest Dixon muttered from behind Dale, nibblin' at 'is thumb nail while defiantly meeting Shane's hard brown gaze. He had to admit it felt damn good provin' that sunuva bitch wrong, especially more than once, "Ya damn people need ta listen fer once, christ."

"We had our reasonable doubt." Rick began, only eliciting an unamused scoff from Daryl before he continued, "But now that we have all of that settled I would like to go onto the more threatening topic of this girl's bite."

At the sound of that Daryl could see Ellie stiffen beside Glenn, her eyes growing wide as all heads officially turned to'er to stare directly at the hand that covered the open pink fleshy wound that she'd received a few days prior. The fear on her face was absolutely daunting. It made the redneck almost regret bringin' 'er back to the quarry. He'd promised 'er safety n' care but so far all these people had given 'er was fear and mistrust.

"You said she got it three days ago, Daryl?" Dale spoke up from the RV steps, peering over at the redneck sideways from under that stupid hat of 'is, "Or four?"

"Has ta be almost five by now." He replied steadily, keeping his gaze locked with tiny blonde's from across the camp to try and keep her calm, "Sh'was in that Humvee fer almost two days and out in the woods with me fer two more. Add in the hours and minutes in between and we may's well be talkin' a good five."

Rick stepped forward, gazing at the girl with eyes full of concern and curiosity- lacking every bit of hostility that Shane's had only moments ago, "An' you promised to take her to the CDC?" The new man asked, shifting his sight back to meet Daryl's.

The redneck responded with a simple nod, switching his gaze to the other man's to show that he had acknowledged him for only a second 'fore back to Ellie's.

"I-I don't know how I feel about that, Rick." Lori spoke up from beside Carol where the two women were clutching their children close to themselves warily, "Being so close to the city...I'm not sure if it's worth the risk. Especially with such a large group."

"The hell it ain't!" Daryl snapped, jumping forward so that he was no longer sheltered by the shade of the RV's awning, "The hell it ain't worth gettin' what could be the only hope fer any of ya'll's damn lives and the whole world's ta that damn CDC!"

"Daryl, calm d-" Rick started, though his consolation only made 'im all the more furious.

 _Were these people seriously considerin' not takin' 'er to where she needed ta be? Were they seriously so pitiful and fearful that they wouldn't take what could be the cure to this entire damn thing to the fuckin' CDC simply 'cause Lori's bitch ass was too afraid ta?_

"I'll take'er there if need be myself! Just Merle n' me! We don't need ya'll anyways, just slow us down if yer lackin' that much god damn balls." He growled, turnin' as he heard Shane speak up.

"Daryl, I don't think Merle's gon' be goin' anywhere anytime soon."

"'Scuze me?" The redneck muttered, beginnin' to square up to the bulky ex-cop at the mention of Merle.

 _They'd fuckin' kill 'im?_

"There was a uh- a problem in Atlanta." Shane continued, and everyone seemed to grow all the more uneasy at the start of the explanation as if it was even more unsettling than the previous topic they'd all went over.

Feelin' 'is heart sink the redneck glanced 'round dishearteningly before liftin' 'is gaze from the ground ta meet Shane's, "He dead?"

Hesitating at first, the large muscular man finally replied reluctantly, "We're not sure."

Daryl cocked 'is head slightly to the side at the sound of that. At first he wasn't quite sure if Shane was playin' games or bullshittin' 'im til he realized that the look in the ex-cop's hard gaze was sincere. However, that provided no more consolation than the proclamation of Lori bein' unsettled with the trek to the CDC had given.

"He either is or 'e ain't!" The youngest Dixon brother snarled, beginnin' to square up Shane once again as he had before as he felt a new burning rage start to ignite deep within' 'is stomach.

 _First these people wanna accuse me of bein' a rapist, then they won't take blondie ta the CDC n' now they're tellin' me that my brother's 'pparently "goin' nowhere". They're really walkin' on thin fuckin' ice._

"No easy way to say this so I'll just say it." The voice of someone he didn't expect to be hearin' right now spoke up, causin' the redneck ta turn in surprise to see the fresh face he still hadn't quite gotten used ta.

"Who're you anyways?" Daryl hissed, feelin' his palms itch with the urge and suspicion to clock anyone at this moment in the face with the force of a thousand volts, "Ya just show up randomly n' I don't see everyone else forcin' ya ta play twenty questions like they did with her."

"Rick Grimes." He replied simply, completely discarding any of the redneck's finishing statement as he strutted up calmly to look at his rugged counterpart face-to-face.

"Rick Grimes," Daryl sneered mockingly, "You got somethin' ya want ta tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all." He retorted almost immediately after the redneck's question as if he were afraid he wouldn't be able to get another word out once Daryl was all fired up, "So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

He stood there for a moment, completely frozen with awe and disbelief at what he had just heard. Again, he found 'imself subjugating to the thought that this was a joke they were all playin' on 'im just ta get some sort of wild reaction that they were all definitely expecting by now. However, he couldn't get past the looks of unfeigned truth and sincerity that clouded each of their gazes like a rising storm.

They weren't kidding.

"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl started, turnin' ta walk a couple steps away from Rick as he wiped his face on 'is forearm before facing the man again ta continue, "You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And you left him there?!"

Rick, however, did seem to hesitate this time before responding, though he did not waver, "Yeah."

His voice. He spoke with such simplicity, such carelessness, such complete and absolute easiness that it made 'im sick. Daryl knew that that wasn't what the man had meant it to sound like- that he didn't care about the choice he had made in leaving Merle on the roof stranded like an animal. He could tell that by the way he had looked away from the redneck as he spoke, as if unable to meet his gaze. It was more so shame than anything, but despite that he wasn't able to fight down the urge to pummel every fuckin' person in that god damned camp to shit any longer. This was it.

Panting with rage, Daryl threw the string of squirrel's that he had belted around his waist from earlier at Rick with such blinded ferocity he swore he could have spat fire. Nonetheless the man ducked, narrowly missing the redneck's retaliation and he was abruptly knocked to the ground by the hulking body of Shane to where he was left to sprawl in the hazy dust around them. However, he was nowhere near finished.

Deftly unsheathing his hunting knife, Daryl aggressively rose back to 'is feet to spring at Rick again with a blinded wrath while T-Dog's warning to the others rung in 'is ears. _"Watch the knife!"_

He just kept swinging though, feeling the anger only grow all the more vexatious as Rick agilely countered each of them with a swift dodge before grabbing his hand to pin it behind 'is back. Shane then jumped in to restrain the other while quickly working the redneck into a tight headlock, causin' 'im to flail recklessly against 'is large frame.

He could hear Ellie desperately crying out his name from where she stood afar with Glenn n' was able to catch a quick glance of the Asian kid restraining 'er with an arm. The sight of'er only fueled 'is indignation even more. Just the sight of her added coal to the flame.

"You'd best better let me go!" Daryl barked, trying to pry away Shane's muscular arm from 'is throat to no avail as he was bein' lowered to the ground little by little.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane panted, grasping the hunter firmly in both of 'is arms as he kept trying to flail and fight 'is way free.

"Choke hold's illegal!" He grunted, feelin' pressure beginnin' to build up in 'is throat n' head as they continued on and Shane replied with a simple, "You can file a complaint."

Words couldn't express how badly he wanted to slice open that smug fucker's jugular n' watch the blood pour out like'a fountain anymore.

"C'mon man, we can keep this up all day." Shane growled as Daryl kept struggling against 'is firm grasp, only to look up n' see Rick crouching in front of 'im with that serene look in 'is eyes that made 'im want to spit.

 _Fuckin' yuppie._

"I'd like to have a _calm_ discussion on this topic." He told 'im gently and looked inta the hunter's troubled eyes with ease, "Do you think we can manage that?" The redneck simply kept breathin' heavily n' strugglin' against Shane, fightin' down the urge to swing up one of 'is boots to clock Rick right in the balls as he repeated 'is previous statement with more emphasis this time, "Do you think we can manage that?"

Shane and Rick both exchanged a glance before Shane softly mumbled, "Mm. Yeah." And then roughly released the other man from his hold as the two others rose to their feet and backed away from Daryl who was slowly recollectin' 'imself.

"What I did was not on a whim." Rick continued, lowering back down inta a crouchin' position so that he could look him in the eye, "Your brother does not work and play well with others."

 _Ya can say that again._ Daryl thought regrettably. He knew that these guys weren't lyin' an' sure as hell were probably justified in all their actions. Merle wasn't an easygoin' guy nor the type to back down when dominance came inta play. He was always the unreasonable one, always had n' always will be. He always knew it would end up gettin' 'im killed one day or damn near close...

"It wasn't Rick's fault." T-Dog piped up from a few feet aways, causin' the two men still sprawled on the ground to look over their shoulder's at 'im, "I had the key. I dropped it." He finished grimly, regret and angst dripping like sweat in the sun from 'is tone.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl spat from the ground, feelin' that overwhelming disbelief startin' ta return from earlier.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain." The dark, sweaty man finished ruefully, glancing from side ta side as if apologizing to everyone in the camp for all the drama that he blamed 'imself for.

Letting out a pained scoff at the sound of that, Daryl closed 'is eyes right and looked to the ground as Rick rose to 'is feet an' the redneck followed, rising only to throw a handful of dirt to the ground in T-Dog'd direction as he started off again, "If that's supposed to make me feel better it don't." He snapped, flashing the other man a look of venomous abhorrence while slowing to a pace in front of 'im when he spoke again.

"Well, maybe this will." The dark-skinned man started, gesturing wildly as he explained how he chained the door to the roof shut with a padlock n' all so that no walker's could get to 'is brother. He had to admit it made 'im feel better, though it still didn't completely justify them all leavin' Merle there like some fuckin' animal. Least not 'nough for his total satisfaction.

"Has to count for somethin'." Rick put in from behind the two, causing Daryl to look to 'im uneasily for a moment before he sucked back and fought the urge to sob right there and then. Simply, wipin' 'is face he spouted one of 'is most famous lines and threw out a careless swiping gesture in the whole group's direction,

"Hell with all ya''ll!" He cried, stumbling slightly before lowering his voice from the shout before continuing, "Just tell me where he is...So's I can go get 'im."

"He'll show you." Lori spoke up, causing them all to turn to look at'er with interested gazes, "Isn't that right?"

The way the bony brunette spoke the word's to Rick made it seem like she was almost mockin' 'im, as if there were almost a hidden ridicule in her words to test if this man really would return to the walker-infested city of Atlanta to retrieve some dirtbag like Merle. And Rick didn't seem to miss it either. He seemed to pick up on it quite well with the pause that he took before reluctantly voicing his own decision that in response caused both Lori and Carl to retreat into the RV with expressions of defeat.

"I'm going back."

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Rick's decision obviously hadn't been the one that most people wanted 'im to make, this was clear to Daryl the moment he overheard his and Shane's heated conversation over how risking lives for Merle Dixon wasn't sane. Of course Daryl had put in his two sense, infuriated to hear them all think so low of 'is own brother, but deep down he knew they were right. Merle was a good-fer-nothing, no good, druggie hick who rightfully got 'imself inta that situation and justifiably should be gettin' 'is own ass outta it without the help of people who had no business in helpin' 'im. But Daryl still knew that Merle was 'is brother n' leavin' 'im behind without an' effort just wasn't an option. He was still blood, even if that blood was bad. 'Cause lord knows that's all his brother has been, ever was and ever will be: bad blood.

And Daryl sure as hell knew that Rick wasn't doin' this for Merle 'imself but more so his own morals that he seemed to want to keep intact despite the shit the world had become as well as some mighty big talk about a bag of guns in the street. Same goes for T-Dog, though his was more so out of guilt than morality. Glenn was only along for the ride 'cause Glenn was pretty much forced inta it by the likes of Lori. He had ta admit, though, he did feel better with the scrawny lil Asian kid along. He knew 'is way in n' out and what ta do. Daryl knew the back roads and rural woodlands of Georgia like the back of 'is hand, but take 'im inta the city and expect 'im ta know the alleyways and street names? Hell, might as well be expectin' 'im ta bake a cake while yer at it ta.

Though, as Rick said 'is good-byes and tied up a few loose ends 'round camp Daryl knew he had ta do the same, somethin' he thought he'd never have ta be doin'.  
He made 'is way stiffly over to the tiny blonde who was still sitting uncomfortably beside Glenn who was tryin' ta gett'er ta eat somethin' n' talk a bit. He had to admit he regretted goin' off on the kid the day before he left for 'is hunt. He was only concerned for the redneck's well being even if Daryl didn't really want it. He honestly trusted Glenn more than ninety percent of the people who walked 'round this camp on the daily. Not 'cause he really did trust 'im or thought of 'im as an asset but 'cause he knew the kid was harmless 'nough. He wouldn't try any of that holy hero shit that Rick n' Shane always were pullin' outta their asses like Easter baskets. Glenn was chill, he was someone who'd bug the shit outta ya but ya'd still have 'is back if 'e was caught up in tha wrong shit. Just as Glenn was someone'd who'd still take a bullet for ya even after ya clocked 'im a good few.

However, despite his lack of disgust towards the lanky Asian, he didn't want 'im 'round while he was consolin' blondie about his upcoming trip to Atlanta. So as'e approached the two, Daryl gave 'im a hard look to which Glenn immediately read and gingerly sat down the plate of canned beans he was offerin' to'er and headed towards where Rick was talkin' with Dale, Jim n' T-Dog about a pair of bolt-cutters.

Taking a seat on the dried out log beside the tiny blonde, he rested 'is forearms on his knees and let out a long sigh, "They said once we get Merle n' them guns n' yer leg's all better we'll talk more 'bout the CDC." The redneck began, gazing forward uneasily as he felt the girl's eyes boring inta him like a pair of chocolate brown horns, "They don't wanna risk goin' inta the city with you injured and us lackin' firepower...An' I don't wanna go without Merle. Least without knowin' if he's alive er not."

Relief washed over him as the tiny girl gave 'im a nod of acknowledgement and understanding, leading 'im to grow overwhelmingly thankful that she wasn't beggin' 'im ta stay. He knew she wasn't like that- someone real desperate or someone ta hold ya back, that he was grateful for. He enjoyed the fact that she was just enough like 'im for 'im to understand and find 'er tolerable but was enough not like 'im so that he could still look at 'er without feelin' disgusted. She had an even, perfect balance of what'e enjoyed.

"Ya' okay with me leavin', right?" He questioned 'er awkwardly, earning a simple small nod in response. This, again, he enjoyed. No tears, no feelings, no emotions. Nothin' ta hold 'im back. She wasn't resentin' 'im fer puttin' off the CDC, she wasn't resentin' 'im fer leavin' 'er behind, she wasn't resentin' 'im fer...all the things he said he wouldn't do.

With that thought, however, Daryl found 'imself growin' a bit guilty for completely violatin' every promise he'd made to'er so far. He knew she understood and he had quite valid reasons that numerous others agreed on but...would she hold it against 'im?

She didn't seem like the type that would, nonetheless he didn't really want that impression of 'im forever branded into'er mind that he wasn't dependable or trustworthy. Even if everything he was doing and was going ta do at this very moment pointed to exactly that...

"I'll be back soon, promise." He told'er in a lower voice, feelin' that warm tingly feelin' creepin' inta his stomach as a small smile etched the corner's of'er pouty lips. From that simple reaction he could tell that she wasn't takin' this as a betrayal or a break to their promises, but simply as a pitstop- a necessary one at that. Ellie wasn't unreasonable from what he had managed to comprehend so far. She understood what needed ta be done and what had ta be done 'fore what she wanted ta be done could. She was able to wait and had the patience of one of those monk's he'd seen on TV before. She wasn't an idiot either, she was clever as hell he had to admit. He knew she'd manage on'er own back at camp til he returned. Whether it be sittin' on this log til 'is ass sat back down 'side 'er or whether she actually got up ta mingle with the others he knew she'd be fine. She'd managed this far without 'im n' he knew she could go a couple more hours that way's well.

* * *

Daryl had left about an hour n' a half ago, leaving Ellie to fend for herself back at camp with the group of survivor's that had not gone into Atlanta to retrieve Merle and a bag of gun's left by the man named Rick. From what she had seen from him so far she knew he wasn't a threat. He never responded with violence or out of hatred or dominance, but simply out of morality and protection. From what she had heard about Merle from the others, though, whether it be eavesdropping on their conversations or simply derived from the occurrence earlier she knew that Rick was acting simply on a virtuous and noble well being that she could rightfully respect. She knew that Merle didn't deserve to be rescued by the team sent out after him, let alone rescued by anyone. That's how she finally came to the satisfying conclusion that Rick was a good man, an asset if anything. And of course at the thought of Rick had branched the thought of Shane, the man who she had also come to an outstanding conclusion on.

Now of course his also differed from Rick's, seeing as the two differed drastically from the other morality and action-wise. However, they were still quite the same. Both were alpha males butting heads because they thought differently, which she had already expected as soon as the two confronted Daryl about Merle being left behind. From the way the two handled her redneck's outburst she was sure that they had known the other previously to the outbreak seeing as they motioned practically as one, especially when the other was in need. And while they may differ drastically the two were so similar that they were practically the same person.

They were both born leader's, both living and striving to give the better to those they love and care about. They both are fighter's, shown obviously within their quarrel with Daryl. They have a bond so close that it practically binds them at the hip and causes them to clash on endless occasions. The two were just so ultimately and utterly the same that it would be their devastating downfall.

Because they were so alike but acted so different.

It was such a confusing concept but it truly was the most defiant answer that there could be. Now, she isn't a fortune teller or anything of the sorts but it's common sense to be able to identify a close bond between two people and see how it could ultimately destroy the pair. Of course something besides their constant competition for leadership would be one daunting figure in the sense but there is one thing that would most likely cause them to ultimately wither and corrupt, thus severing the bond. However, she was yet to find that exact thing.

"Sweetheart, how's your leg?"

The soft voice of Lori startled her out of her thoughts, causing the small girl to jolt suddenly and prepare to spring backwards in a fight or flight decision. However, despite their altercation from earlier in the tent she still remembered how kind and gentle the woman was towards her before finding out about her bite. And honestly, Ellie didn't blame her for reacting the way she had. These people had no knowledge of her situation prior, as didn't Daryl and he still managed to come around eventually. She hoped that the rest of them would as well.

Nervously, the small pale girl recollected herself before giving Lori a small smile, ultimately retrieving another friendly grin from the thin woman showing that she understood, "I-It's good." She whispered simply.

She watched as the brunette slowly took a seat beside the girl, making sure she didn't make any sudden movements that could potentially startle her. Setting down her empty bucket at their feet, Lori's eyes scanned over Ellie with sorrow and pity before her eyes fell on the untouched plate of beans.

"You haven't eaten yet either?" She asked, her voice stricken with worry as the blonde simply shrugged in response.

She had to admit she really wasn't hungry, even though she hadn't eaten since the meager meal of squirrel the night before with Daryl. She knew it was a waste to leave the beans there without even trying to eat them, especially during the times they were falling across nowadays. She felt guilty she had to admit. These people were beginning to open up to her rather than give her the cold shoulder she had received after Lori's outburst and she was still so uneasy despite their actions of apology and compassion.

"Well, if you're not hungry why don't we get you into some real clothes then, huh?" Lori continued, rubbing the girl's back gently as if to encourage her, "I'm sure we will be able to make do with a few things around camp. We're crafty like that."

Ellie peered over her shoulder to give the woman a small smile of agreement before nodding softly. Even though Daryl's large flannel was quite comfortable on her, she had to admit that that it was a bit too big. The tattered old cloth reached down past her knees by now, the sleeves could practically fit another arm and had been rolled up loosely to her wrists and just overall wasn't for her. There was also the fact that she was still lacking both shoes and pants.

"Yes, please." Ellie replied softly, much ready for a new set of clothes.

* * *

Carol and Lori along with Amy had managed to pull together an outfit that fit her far better than Daryl's old flannel and that she felt more comfortable in. They'd given her a pair of Sophia's old boots that laced up to her mid-shins as well as a pair of old jean shorts that she had to tighten drastically with a leather belt around her tiny waist. She'd decided to keep on Daryl's old flannel and to simply tuck into the baggy shorts that came up to her mid-thigh instead of changing into the fresh T-shirt laid out for her courtesy of the three women. She simply felt better in the rugged man's shirt, especially since he wasn't around at the time. It made her feel more secure and more sheltered seeing as she was familiar with it. It felt nice. It felt right.

After changing into her fresh clothing within the security of Lori and Carl's tent, Ellie settled herself before venturing back out into the clearing that was peacefully buzzing with everyone taking on their daily chores around the camp. She looked over to two women whom she didn't recognize as they hung laundry while laughing among themselves as one told a joke she couldn't quite pick up while Dale was perched atop of the RV keeping watch under a red umbrella like a hawk. Looking away, the pale girl switched her gaze to the smiling group of Carol, Amy, Andrea and a strange dark-skinned woman of whom she didn't quite recall knowing as they all loaded up the back of an old truck with baskets and tubs full of clothing and washboards. There was a large man with them as well, he had a beefy, mean-looking face that seemed to only ever adorn a scowl as he sucked in a long toke of his cigarette, leaning against the car without even lending a hand to the four women. However, much to her own alarm she saw that he was looking directly back at her with a stone cold gaze as his frowning lips wrapped around the rolled tobacco paper.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, she quickly veered her eyes away from his and thumbed her two fingers together worriedly as she looked around warily for someone that she did recognize. Also so that she could get as far away from the intimidating man as possible. She didn't like the looks of him whatsoever. In fact she could pick up on many threatening vibes that would jeer her away from anything to do with him right away even while being quite a distance from him.

Ellie paced back and forth for a moment before deciding to search for Lori. The woman seemed friendly enough and understood the girl to a certain extent that she found admirable. From checking in on her physical state to helping her get into a more appropriate outfit she found a spark of trust for the woman who had been wary of helping her get to the CDC. She didn't blame her for that, not one bit. She knew how risky the trek was despite Daryl's promise and understood the woman not wanting to risk her son's life and everyone else's for something that was such a long shot. She was only being cautious, something that was needed desperately within this world nowadays.

However, as Ellie wandered almost aimlessly through the blistering camp she found that she was unable to locate the bony brunette. She hadn't gone back to her tent, wasn't with the group who had left for the quarry with the scary man, she wasn't even with the two women who were hanging up the laundry a few moments ago. She seemed to have vanished when the girl really had needed her. Letting out a long, shaky breath, the small blonde decided to confront Dale about the lack of Lori within the camp.

Sheepishly shuffling up to the side of the old RV, the girl searched wildly for the words to get the man's attention. Thankfully, Dale did not cease to realize she was down there and peered over the side of the RV at her with a bright smile before giving her a cheerful, "Hello there!"

Ellie was a bit startled at first with the man's kindness, though quickly recalled him coming to her defense when her and Daryl had first returned to camp. The older man seemed worried about her situation and wounds and more concerned with her well being rather than the potential threat she could have posed. This helped her quickly decide that she did like Dale.

"D-Do you know where Lori is?" She stammered, fidgeting uncomfortably as the man climbed his way down the ladder so that he could speak with her face-to-face.

Settling beside the small girl calmly, Dale gazed into the distance in the direction of the forestry path that led down to the quarry, "She was looking for Carl last time I spoke with her." He informed, lifting his binoculars to squint through them at the desolate dirt road, "Sent her to the quarry where he was with Shane. There was some mighty big talk of catching frogs- plural."

"Frogs...plural?" Ellie asked, confused at the older man's statement as he lowered his binoculars to look down at the blonde instead.

"Yep, that's what I was told. It was emphasized by Carl that the frogs were _plural,_ not singular. And that they were going to be feeding the whole camp those frogs- plural." Dale explained to her with an identical look of uncertainty, "I don't question Shane when it comes to Carl and Lori anymore, not since Rick got here."

Ellie tilted her head to the side slightly, interested, "What does Rick have to do with them?"

The older man gave her a smile and shook his head softly, "It's a wild story, sweetheart. More drama than this world needs. Hell, I thought it all went to hell with it." Dale sighed, taking off his hat to wipe away a few beads of sweat, "Looks like I was wrong."

"What's the story?" She asked him, now indulged in the spectacle that surrounded the four. She hadn't taken Lori to be someone who'd be starting any sort of trouble or excitement around camp, especially not since she had Carl to look after. She'd thought Lori'd be far too busy for such nonsense.

"You really want me to get into that novella?" Dale laughed, placing his old fishing hat back on his head before settling his hands on his hips to gaze off into the distance with an amused expression.

"Well, we have nothing but time." Ellie pointed out, much to the entertainment of the elderly man who nodded in agreement before turning to a man in a blue jumpsuit and a matching cap who he addressed as Jim while asking him politely to take over on watch. The bearded man agreed eagerly and set down the handful of multi-colored cords that he was fiddling with upon a picnic table.

After trading off his binoculars with Jim, Dale and Ellie took a seat on the log that Glenn had been holding her at after the quarrel in the tent with Shane and began to explain the dilemma that was between the Grimes' and their close friend.

* * *

"Pass the fish please." Sophia asked Ellie softly, causing the pale blonde to give the young girl a sheepish smile before passing the aluminum pan full of the freshly fried fish.

Amy and Andrea had caught well over two dozen of the delicious dinners earlier that day after the dispute that had taken place down at the quarry. After Lori had returned with Carl in an angry fit and confined him to their tent for a talk, a fight had broken out between Shane, the scary man whose name turned out to be Ed, and the four women, including Ed's wife Carol. Shane had beaten Ed bloody and practically unconscious after the intimidating man had stricken the short-haired woman and now refused to come out of the tent even for the fish fry. Ellie had to admit that Dale was right about all of the drama that seemed to be caused by Lori and Shane around the camp despite the world ending.

"Man oh man, that's good. Whew." Shane chuckled as he swallowed another mouthful of his fish before taking another swig of his beer from the bottle, "I miss this."

The small girl gazed around at all of the quarry campers as they enjoyed their dinners, taking in the normality of the whole situation as they laughed softly and talked quietly while simply enjoying the others company. The way they all were crowded around the pale glowing fire that sizzled softly beneath a pan of simmering filets on overturned buckets, lawn chairs and sideways logs. The way that they all simply were dining with the other as if the world hadn't and wasn't falling around them at this very moment. It was such a nice setting, so serene and calm. It felt like the old times.

"I gotta ask you, man," Morales spoke up suddenly towards Dale, whom Ellie had chosen to sit next to, "It's been driving me crazy."

A smile lit up the old man's face that was propped up against his fist, causing the blonde to look up from her practically untouched dinner, "What?" He asked cheerfully.

"That watch." The Hispanic man motioned between bites of his food, a matching smile to Dale's lighting up his bearded face.

Letting out a faint chuckle as his grin grew larger in the silhouette of the fire, the elderly man fiddled with the watch joyously, "What's wrong with my watch?"

"I see you everyday- same time- winding that thing like a village priest saying mass." Morales proclaimed, causing the others gathered around the smoking fire to join in with soft laughter.

"I've wondered this myself." The dark-skinned woman whom she later found out to be named Jacqui, put in gleefully as she took another bite of her meal.

"I'm missing the point." Dale declared, stifling a laugh as he set his own empty plate at his feet so that he could glance from his watch to he rest of the crowd.

"Unless I've misread the signs," Jacqui chortled as her fork clanked against her plate while she also finished up her last piece of the fish, "the world seems to have come to an end." The woman paused with a bright smile lighting up her dark face before continuing, "At least hit a speed bump for a good long while."

"But there's you!" Morales piped up, still eating his fair share of fish gratefully as he spoke with charismatic hand motions, "Every day winding that stupid watch."

"Time." Dale started, hesitating with a gleeful smirk before resuming, "It's important to keep track, isnt it? The days at least. Don't you think?" He asked before turning and gesturing in the eldest blonde's direction, "Andrea? Back me up here." Andrea simply gave the old man a wide-eyed grimace that told him he was on his own while stifling laughter and taking another sip of her beer.

"I like- I like what um." Dale stammered, gazing off subtly into the distance as he spoke, "A father said to his son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations."

By now everyone had turned to listened to eldest man of the group, obviously interested and intrigued by the start to his newest topic on the watch. From what Ellie could tell this seemed like a nightly routine that reoccurred constantly over dinner with this group of people. Dale was wise and sagacious, therefore everyone had always looked to him for advice and comforting stories in their times of need which of course nowadays being always. It seemed like everyone really looked forward to this. The way their eyes were wide and content as he spoke, informing them all of the times that they were never old enough to experience themselves. Ellie found herself enjoying them too.

"He said, _I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it._ "

With that Ellie felt the time that Dale had been speaking of thrumming gently to blase stop. She found herself suddenly not caring about the numbers that the circle on the old man's wrist beheld on rhythmic ticks and tocks sheltered by the three thin black arms that showed you which ones you desired. She found herself enjoying the moment she was in now with all of these strange people that Daryl had brought her to. She found herself marveling at the salty ocean smell of the cooking fish, the shallow friendly laughter of these people who'd she'd only known for hours, the overwhelming comfort that defined the entire atmosphere. She found herself feeling safe- secure. She found herself feeling like she belonged here. That the amount time didn't define her life anymore but how she found herself spending it. She found herself forgetting about the hours and the days, but marveling at the never ending years. The seconds, the minutes, the moments. They still had them ahead. Time had not robbed them of those.

"You are so weird." Amy spoke up jokingly, causing a soft eruption of giggles to sound from the ring of people that were huddled closely around the dying fire.

"It's not me, It's Faulkner." Dale declared between chuckles, "William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." He explained, shooting playful glances at Andrea and Amy, then much to her own surprise to Ellie. The look in the man's eyes was comforting- utterably soothing. Dale had an undeniable way with people, with words. He had a way to lift everyone's spirits with simple stories despite the condition that they were all in. He was such an asset in this world even if he couldn't quite defend them all physically, however he did far more than bodily protection ever could: he helped them keep their humanity.


	12. Chapter 12: Void

**Yaass I'm so happy I managed to do an update this week ;_; Even if it wasn't too grand or anything of the sorts. Soon we should be getting into some Daryl and Ellie-ness hopefully ;D I mean, considering one of my favorite Daryl/OC fics the two had sex by chapter 11 o_o I feel like I am dragging them out a bit...Do you guys? Otherwise, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review of what you're thinking and/or any ideas you have that you'd potentially like to see happen in the story. I am always welcoming and completely open to the thoughts of others and actually encourage them as sometimes my mind can run dry on plot lines ;v; Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"Can't believe Merle snatched our fuckin' van, man." T-Dog voiced irritably as the four men jogged up the sloping dirt road that led inta camp, each sweatin' n' achin ta hell by now.

They'd been on this road for hours now after their restless day in Atlanta that was complete havoc. From findin' that Merle cut off 'is own fuckin' hand ta escape, to havin' Glenn kidnapped by'a buncha tacos while tryna get their guns back and havin' their truck stolen by the eldest Dixon, taday had not been a good one. Was by far anythin' but smooth er anythin' they had planned on it bein', but they'd least got it all done. If'e had ta admit he was lookin' forward ta gettin' back ta the old quarry n' washin' off all the blood and gettin somethin' ta fuckin' eat. Last time'e ate was with blondie out in the woods 'fore they both fell asleep out in the open. Speakin'a blondie...

He wondered how she was doin' back at camp without 'im. He figured she managed alright, she always did from what he'd seen, but he couldn't help but worry. It felt weird, he had to admit. Havin' someone ta worry about. He never had ta be on Merle's back 'bout nothin', he knew tryna worry for his older brother was like tryin' ta clean the stench off'a shit. Was useless. And it wasn't that he doubted blondie's capability to watch over herself, he just wasn't all to keen on leavin' her alone with all the people in camp. He didn't find countless of those asshats trustworthy and leavin' her with em'...

"Oh my god." Rick abruptly breathed, causin' the other three to squint closely through the darkness so that they could see what he had 'is panties in'a bunch about. As Daryl's sight finally settled in on it he felt his heart sink.

Walkers. Screams. Blood. Gunshots.

"Go, go!" Glenn cried and they all took off within'a split millisecond up through the dark trees to assist the camp as wave after wave of walker's descended down upon them wildly.

 _Bl_ _ondie.  
_

* * *

The tiny blonde was being jostled about within the fearful crowd of panicking campers, being tossed around like a ragdoll and found herself ending up on the ground as a woman pushed past her screaming. Flashbacks of the sprint through the military base found themselves creeping eerily back into her mind as gunshots rang in her ears and everyone crowded around, only ending up dispersing upon one another and causing even more havoc than before.

Sprawling wildly on the dirt-covered ground, Ellie attempted struggle to her feet when she found herself looking up into the bloodshot, green-rimmed eyes of a walker missing half of its jaw. Letting out a startled shriek, the tiny blonde tumbled backwards as the beast lunged forward and she immediately used her tiny boot-laden foot to hold it at her leg's-length. Feeling panic rise within her, Ellie's hands flailed around desperately upon the ground as she searched for anything that she could use against the menace, but to no avail discovered nothing but handfuls of dried dirt. However, something did happen that let her heart begin to beat again.

The walker had quit trying to claw at her suddenly when a gunshot especially close pierced the night air and it fell limply against her boot, causing her leg to crumple beneath its weight and thus allowing the walker to completely collapse against her. Though, behind it stood Dale with wide, petrified eyes as he firmly held a rifle pointed to where the walker had been before he hauled the walker off of the tiny blonde by the ankle then quickly pulled Ellie upwards and intertwined his hand with hers.

"Make your way up ta the RV!" She heard Shane bellow amidst all of the screams of terror and gunshots that rung out one after the other through the desolate night. She'd remembered seeing him immediately jumping up once Amy's cry sounded from Dale's mobile home and almost instinctively covered Carl and Lori with such protectiveness she had found herself beginning to doubt Dale's gossip from earlier.

Nonetheless, though, that's what Dale seemed to be doing. He was clutching her hand tightly in his own while swinging at walkers with his now-empty rifle in the other, calling out to the girl behind him to stick close and to not let go. Of course she had no other intentions and wanted nothing more than to remain beside the elderly man, though the crowd and the walkers had other ideas.

As the two closed in on the RV, Ellie suddenly felt a strong, ravaged hand grasp tightly onto her boot and haul her to the ground with a mighty tug and snatched her right from Dale. She heard the white-bearded old man cry out for her, though neither could quite relocate the other due to the chaos that ensued around them. Turning her head, Ellie remarkably found herself not looking into the eyes of a walker but into the eyes of a nameless woman that she had never acknowledged before. Though, she could recall seeing her around the camp earlier that day. She was hanging laundry with another woman who was most likely dead now, she hated to admit. She was also sitting across from her only minutes ago during the fish fry, laughing at Dale's jokes and stories. She was happy, content, hopeful and thriving. But now...here she was. Laying on her stomach along the ground with a walker atop of her, her chin-length brown hair matted with sticky dark crimson and thrown about buckwild as she screamed bloody murder that rang like a choir in the small girl's ear's. It was haunting, she had to admit. To look directly into the eyes of this woman as she was being torn apart. To look directly into the eyes of this woman as the light faded from them and the fear and agony only succeeded in illuminating any type of life left within her. Her eyes were begging- pleading- for help and assistance. They were boring into the blonde as if almost silently telling her what she already knew...It was absolutely mortifying. It chilled her to the bone. The fact that she wanted to get away from the woman who clutched her leg tightly in a constricting grasp, but at the same time found herself conflicted and wanting to help her even though she was too far gone by now. And hell, maybe even by now it wasn't about saving the woman- but about saving herself, her humanity, her own sanity. Because she knew she wouldn't be able to close her eyes without seeing the tortured glazed ones of the woman who was clinging to her so tightly. She knew what she was capable of.

Letting out a heaving cry of pain as she wrenched her ankle roughly from the woman's grasp in a mnner that practically dislocated it, she threw herself forward onto her attacker's undead assailant and tackled the reaking menace to the ground. Forcing herself atop of the walker, Ellie fiercely used her left hand to force down the neck of the hissing bloody creature before glancing over her shoulder to see the the woman who had almost killed her writhing painfully on the dirty ground wailing unbearably. Feeling her stomach churn with adrenaline and fear, she rolled off of the walker and to the side, watching as it relentlessly began to crawl towards her with bloodied jaws and outstretched flesh-ridden claws that wanted nothing more to sink deep into her.

Ellie glanced around wildly, searching desperately for anything that could be used as a weapon to fend off the her hungrered attacker before finally spotting something from the corner of her eye. Scrambling to her feet, the tiny girl limped over to the campfire that happened to not be too far and where she had been drug away from by Dale only moments ago. Narrowly dodging an oncoming walker and causing it to fall into the lapping flames, she reached down to snatch up one of the glowing red fire pokers before turning around to meet her pursuer and drove it directly into its eye with a sizzling sound.

She watched as the monster fell to the ground limply with the poker still frying the inside of its head before turning her attention to the screaming that was ensuing all across the camp. She stared around wildly at the horrific scene that was becoming a monstrous stop-motion film around her like the cinema before spotting the woman who'd grabbed her earlier. She was now simply lying still on the ground, blood still gushing from her fresh wound when at the same time she heard the newly arriven voice of Rick calling out to Lori and Carl. And she knew if Rick was back then Daryl must be too.

She glanced around her wildly, desperately trying to find the familiar face as the walker from earlier clawed at her from the fire below. She felt her stomach churning as the head began to swell up, filling up with the blistering heat inside it like a balloon before ultimately popping like one as well, thus sending walker brains all along the bottoms of her legs and shoes. Stepping backward disgustedly, the girl found herself safe for a few steps before feeling her back fall against something hard. Turning around fearfully, she came face-to-face with the woman who she had saved only minutes ago now. However her face was far different.

She was lifeless- hollow. Her skin was a pale gray, her eyes were bloodshot and the color of them, a piercing green, was especially unrealistically vibrant now and glowed in the crackling fire like a shot from a horror movie. Her neck was still gushing out liquid crimson streams that stained her dirtied, tattered clothing just like it had before, however it didn't seem to faze her whatsoever this time. Of course it wouldn't...she's dead now.

Feeling panic arise within her already churning stomach, Ellie quickly whipped back around to the fire and attempted to yank the poker from the lapping flames where the walker's head had exploded. To no avail though, she was unable to get her hand anywhere close to the blistering inferno. She looked around desperately now for something that she could use to fend off this attacker. It seemed like all she was doing now was taking out one walker unconventionally after the other. It was like they never ended. It was almost as if they were infinite.

That's when something did happen to catch Ellie's eye. It wasn't anything significant- sure as hell wasn't her first choice of a weapon and she wasn't even too sure that it would do much, but it sure as hell was something. She rushed forward nimbly, swooping down to grab the half-filled beer bottle that was pressed against the lips of Shane only minutes ago before facing attacker and preparing herself for a close confrontation.

As the undead woman shuffled a few more quick steps, she finally lunged for the girl with gnashing jaws and outstretched arms of hunger and terror as she brought the glass bottle down on her face to shatter it into hundreds of pieces, thus leaving the blonde with only the top, splintering part now in her grasp. Nonetheless the walker was unwavered by the shattered bottle across her maw and she simply kept at the girl as Ellie dodged around her so that she could grab the back of the woman's tattered shirt. Clenching a tight fistful of the bloodied material, the tiny girl pulled the roaring monster to the ground with all of her might and watched with triumph as the unsteady creature ultimately toppled backwards with her feet in the fire. She was now able to look directly into the woman's reddened eyes as she drove the spiked edges of shattered bottle down onto the woman's ravaged face, striking her numerous times as the splintered glass delved deep into her eye sockets, cheeks and skin until she finally stopped moving.

* * *

Daryl ran wildly through the camp, feeling blood and adrenaline pumping wildly through 'is veins as he fired off the large shotgun at any undead freak he happened to come 'cross. He could hear the screams and seemin'ly never ending growls of what had to be nearly three dozen walker's as they all descended down on the unexpectin' group. He watched, pumped full of fear and caution, as Rick wailed wildly for 'is family and saw the two standin' up near the RV beside Shane, tremblin' wildly and blubberin' like'a bunch'a babies. At the sight of them, however, Daryl expected his lil blondie to be sharin' the sanctuary of the RV along with those three, Carol, Sophia, as well as Morales' family along with Shane and Dale. Feelin' panic rise within him as he desperately glared around camp, he clutched the gun even more so tightly in 'is grasp as he prayed to any god that was still out there that she was okay. After all they had been through, after everythin' he had promised- he didn't know what ee'd do if she had ultimately fallen while he was away. Not after he promised she'd be safe now.

"Ellie!" He bellowed, feelin' the desperation causing his stomach to churn wild waves within 'im, "Ellie!" His cries seemed to fall upon deaf ears, however, until he felt the hand of Dale on his shoulder. Whipping around with a leaden heart, he bore his icy blue gaze into Dale's before defiantly tossing off his comforting grasp.

"I was with her, son." The elderly man informed him with a sorrowful look in his eyes,"We got separated on our way up to the RV. I...I haven't seen her since."

"Ya' didn't think to go lookin' for 'er?" The redneck snarled, squarin' up and practically shovin' 'is face into Dale's, "None'a ya'll thought to keep a damn eye out fer the lil girl who could just damn be savin' all yer fuckin' li-"

"Here!"

All at once and practically in unison, the group that had gathered around the RV turned to see the small girl emerging from the corner where the firepit was still burning hot. And damn...did she look'a hot mess.

She was limping sluggishly, almost as if in slow motion, up the small body-covered hill lookin' like the most damn stunnin' thing ee'd ever seen- even if she was covered in blood from head-to-toe. The way her long, pale blonde locks fell past her waist and bounced into light frilly curls as she walked, the way her snow-white skin glowed perfectly in the dim light of the campfire and was splattered lightly with sprays of contrasting crimson. God damn, the way her chocolate brown eyes looked like a wild black in the darkness of the night, hooded by her long curling eyelashes and her thick, dark eyebrows that were raised and furrowed into that way that simply tied together her entire face. Her plump pink lips, busted and bloody though still captivating, pouted around the sillohette that engulfed every nook and cranny of her body, illuminating and complimenting her features perfectly as if she was some work of art. And christ, especially the way that her clothes, now soaked with blood straight to the skin, clung to her petite figure and outlined the flawless swell of her hips that gave her body, despite being so tiny, a delicious curve that made him have to resist biting into his own chapped lips. Everything about her in that moment made her look absolutely feral- simply untamed and savage. Fuckin' ethereal. By now, seein' 'er so riotous n' fierce, he couldn't deny that she had an inner animal. An inner animal that drove the unruly hunter to'er even more.

"Thank god." He heard Lori breathe outwardly as their eyes all set on Ellie, Dale stepping forward to embrace the bloodied girl in 'is arms before kissing the top of'er head and lettin' out a joyous laugh of relief before releasin' 'er n' steppin' back to fall beside Carol and Sophia.

The girl then turned to Daryl, her big brown eyes meetin' his with a look of relief and happiness as a kissable smile parted 'er lips, "You're late."

* * *

"Jus' fuckin' pisses me off they didn't even try ta save ya." The redneck spat as he made 'is way back up ta camp with Ellie from the quarry. The two had been down there tryin' ta wash off a bit, especially her, during the aftermath of the attack and ta rub off some'a the damn blood that stained every inch of their skin. They hadn't talked much, 'specially when she'd thought it'd be a good idea ta go skinny dippin' without warnin' the gruff hunter. Simply stripped down to'er crimson-splattered skin and jumped inta the dark, moonlit water laughin' and carryin' on. He had ta admit the sight was damn near pornographic. Even though he turned 'round 'fore he could really see anythin', just watchin' 'er strip drove 'im insane. It was almost as if she was tryna tempt 'im every step of tha way n' lure 'im inta somethin'. Obviously, though, he knew that wasn't the case.

She trusted 'im. Simply thought that that'e wouldn't care 'bout seein' 'er body- 'specially since he had tol' 'er that she wasn't 'is type anyways. She prolly figured that 'cause 'e saved 'er n' all that mess he had no intentions of touchin' 'er- which he didn't. 'Course he looked at'er and thought she was damn near edible, but he wouldn't ever touch'er. 'Specially not after what she'd been through. 'Specially not when he was supposed ta be takin' care of'er.

"Dale helped me." She replied, limping slightly beside 'im as the dimly lit lanterns of camp started to come inta view, "Helped me the best he could at least until we were separated...The rest of them had more important things to worry about then."

"The hell's more important than the girl who could save tha damn world?" Daryl hissed, feelin' rage bubbling up deep within him at the thought.

"They were saving those they loved." She told 'im simply, practically shruggin' as she spoke almost as if they were justified, "I can understand that."

Scoffing in response, the redneck entered camp beside the tiny blonde and shook 'is head as he eyed up the people who could have possibly let the cure for the whole damn world die.

Carol and Sophia were huddled close together on the steps of the RV as the short-haired woman whispered softly to 'er sobbin' daughter, desperately tryna reassure 'er that everythin' was alright now. Beside them was Rick, Lori and Carl. The family was clustered together in a big hug as they each sobbed inta the other, makin' promises that Daryl found 'imself wonderin' if they'd even be able ta keep. A few feet away stood Shane, who eyed the Grimes family with what seemed to be a look of contempt mixed with another emotion the redneck couldn't quite define. More so Rick, nonetheless the whole family. His hard glare was pretty damn unnervin' if'e had ta say so 'imself. That mess wasn't 'is business, though. He had enough goin' on with blondie now ta worry 'bout their damn adultery issues.

Turnin' 'is attention back ta the small girl beside 'im, he let out a long sigh 'fore speakin' again, "Need ta get some sleep, blondie. 'Iss been'a long day. Gon' need the energy to clean up all this mess tommorah'." He said, startin' for his tent before he heard her tiny footsteps behind 'im.

"W-Where do I sleep?" She stammered, stopping abruptly behind 'im as the redneck halted to peer at'er over 'is shoulder.

"With me, dumb ass."

* * *

"Ya can take Merle's cot fer now." He told the girl as he kicked off 'is boots and lit the lantern to a low light just bright enough to provide the tent with a dim glow, "Ya can move 'is stuff 'round if ya need ta. Jus' don' mess wit too much. Merle don't like it when people go through 'is shit."

Nodding obidiently, the tiny girl shuffled over to the missing man's messy cot, running her eyes over the endless layers of toussled sheets, wrinkled wrappers and numerous plastic baggies- some full, some not, that cluttered the place she was supposed to be sleeping in. Feeling an uneasiness creep into her, Ellie turned back around to see the gruff hunter settling into his own cot with his hands behind his head, clutching her arms around her tiny waist.

She watched as his eyes fluttered up to meet hers, noting how his eyes rolled with irritation and he sat up with a groan, "Whataya want now, blondie?" He muttered, searching her expression for some sort of of answer to his question before she could ultimately speak. She looked troubled, almost uneasy and quite a bit disgusted as her chocolate brown eyes met his cold blue ones before he spoke up again, "What not good enough fer ya?"

"N-No! No!" She protested immediately and shook her head side to side, causing her damp pale locks to fly everywhere before continuing, "I-It's just that there's a-a..." He watched as her eyes darted from side to side uncomfortably, a light shade of blush creeping along her cheeks in the faint lighting as she shuffled further from the cot owned by the eldest Dixon.

Daryl let out a muffled groan of annoyance as he hauled himself upwards, muttering irritably as he pushed past the girl and to Merle's cot, "I swear if ya gettin' ya panties in a bunch over a beetle on yer pillow I'm makin' ya sleep with Andr-" However, he ultimately stopped short when his eyes fell upon what she was so sheepish about and he felt his stomach begin ta churn as it stared back at 'im with just as piercing eyes.

Tucked underneath the crease of the wrinkly sheet was a condom- a used one at that. Daryl wasn't surprised, nonetheless, though mutually repulsed. He knew his brother was having a little thing with one of the women up in camp since they'd gotten here. Some nasty lookin' fake blonde that had greasy locks n' 'er roots showin' with oily skin and had a voice deeper than Merle's hisself. Though she was the only broad ta even pay any type of attention to the sunuva bitch nowadays in this camp. Regrettably, he knew she was probably dead now considerin' he hadn't seen 'er up at the RV with all of those who did survive the attack.

Cursing under his breath, the redneck quickly undid the messy sheets from the sides of Merle's cot and balled them up and tossed them in a corner with an identical expression to the tiny girl's. He turned back to 'er and watched as she gave him a look of mutual discomfort before turning her eyes away from his.

"Fer some chick who doesn't mind me seein' 'er ass naked in the moonlight ya sure do get flustered over a used condom." He scoffed, watching as her dark eyebrows began to furrow in that way they always did when she heard something she didn't like.

"I'm not flustered...I-I'm just..." She muttered, turning her head away from him, "I-I'm just...grossed out."

The youngest Dixon raised a brow at the girl before letting out an amused huff and strutting over to his bed to wad up his own sheets and blanket then tossing them over to her. He watched, entertained, as the pile of linen practically knocked 'er on 'er ass and sent 'er stumblin' 'fore she regained her balance.

"Won't you need these?" She asked the redneck, her voice dripping with such care and purity it almost made 'im sick. He simply shook 'is head and reached into an old army green duffel bag beside his bed and pulled out a sleeping bag that he'd brought just in case, spreading it along his own cot before flopping back down onto it.

"When ya used to spend most'a yer time out in tha woods ya accumulate enough gear fer a small army." He remarked and laid his head back down on 'is arms behind his head and watched as the girl gave him a small nod of acknowledgement 'fore she began to cautiously spread out the sheets of the youngest Dixon on her own cot. He did his best not to admire her petite figure as she bent around and tucked in the edges of the sheets and the blankets, causin' the thin material of her shirt to hug her body tightly. Lettin' out a small sigh of irritation, he turned over so that 'is back was facin' 'er and did 'is best to ignore her prescence as a whole, "Turn off the lantern fer ya go ta bed too, blondie. Don't need ya wastin' the damn battery."

She murmured a response to the gruff redneck before he saw the light dim down to nothing and left the two with only darkness now in the cricket-filled nighttime. He heard her settle softly into her own cot now, snugglin' deep down inta the covers as a slight breeze blew against the tent's thin walls. He began to settle in hisself, feelin' his overall tiredness and exhaustion ultimately overcomin' 'im as the heavy lids of 'is eyes fell closed and ached for sleep. Though, as his consciousness began to waver the irritating chirp of the bugs outside weren't the only thing to fill his ears. As he listened more closesly he could hear light footsteps eerily creepin' closer n' closer though, almost as if...someone was sneakin' up on 'im.

 _This bitch tryna kill me or somethin'?_

In one swift movement, the redneck snatched his hunting knife from beneath 'is pillow and sprang upwards into a sitting position to meet the startled gaze of Ellie who stood barely half a foot from the tent's entrance with the sheet wrapped around her like a white cloak. Exhaling exasperatedly, the redneck lowered his weapon slowly and bore his icy gaze inta hers, feeling curiosity and fear slowly creepin' up inta 'is bones.

"The fuck are ya doin'?" He hissed quietly, tucking his sharpened knife inta 'is back pocket 'fore the girl pulled the sheets tighter around her tiny body against the southern chill.

 _Ya leavin'?_

"I have to pee." She murmured, her thick eyebrows knitting together as she stared 'im down defiantly, "Or do you have to filet me first?" Rollin' 'is eyes at 'er, he began to slip on 'is boots n' grab a flashlight when he heard her begin to protest, "I can go alone!"

"Ya ain't goin' out in the walker infested woods alone. 'Specially not after what happened tonight." He argued and sat up, shufflin' over ta the blonde at the exit 'fore shrugging, "'Sides, think I gotta drain the lizard myself."

"Well, ' _draining the lizard_ is more a personal business..." The tiny blonde whispered, a light shade of pink spreadin' across her cheeks as the redneck reached up to push the tent flap aside.

"Pfft." He scoffed, biting inta his thumbnail as he released the zipper, "Never said I was gonna pee with ya or anythin' weird, blondie. Damn." Daryl muttered 'fore switchin' 'is attention ta somethin' else, "An' take off that damn ghost costume. Ya look like a fuckin' Morticia Addams."

"Rude." The girl pouted, slippin' the sheet down and ballin' it up 'fore tossin' it back onta the cot, "I thought I looked quite stylish. The dead look is in nowadays, isn't it?"

Daryl snorted a response and guided his own jacket off 'is body and tossed it her way, 'shifting her weight so that she wouldn't stumble this time and then sliding it on, "Thank you."

He watched, amused, as a sheepish grin spread across 'er lips and pushed 'er way out of the tent and inta the silent clearing lit only by one small lantern that was hangin' from Dale's awning eerily, creakin' in the wind. A low fire with two walker corpses cracklin' black in it was still lit, eliciting a smell that could damn straight choke a horse as the pair quietly made their way to a small encirclement of bushes a few feet off the side of main camp. It was nothin' fancy, nothin' grand but it made do when the RV's bathroom was all backed up.

"Nice touch." Ellie remarked jokingly as she admired the toilet paper holder that Shane had nailed inta the tree loosely with a half-used roll dangling from it. He watched as the girl rounded the bushes before raising her eyebrows playfully, "Staying to watch, big tough man?"

Startled, the redneck quickly turned and ducked behind a large oak and did his best to distract 'imself from the girl on the other side. It wasn't that he had some fucked up fetish for that shit, or anythin' in between, he just often found 'imself somehow in a situation when this girl had 'er pants down n' he wasn't 'sposed ta be lookin'. It was too much ironic anymore.

"Is Merle really dead?" The girl's small voice piped up as he heard her pulling the shorts back up her legs before zipping the silver line and making her way over to the opposite side of the tree. He glanced sideways as the blonde peeked her head around at 'im playfully, though an empathetic smile parted her plump lips.

"Nah...He's just...gone." Daryl whispered, feelin' a lump in 'is throat as he answered her and shifted his gaze away to try and hide any type of emotion that did manage to surface.

"Gone?" She whispered in response, chocolate brown eyes growing to those adorable moons they always had whenever she was especially shocked and or interested in something- such as this topic.

He simply nodded and pulled a cigarette from 'is pocket and lit it up, tucking the wrapped tobacco 'tween 'is lips 'fore removin' it and blowing out, "Gone."

Ellie rounded her way fully around the tree to lean up against the rough bark beside him, gazin' up at the redneck with dark eyes full of worry and sorrow. He was actually a bit surprised to see that this girl cared so much, 'specially since the guy they were talkin' 'bout left a used condom in 'er bed. He guessed he was just that kind of person. The kinda person he wasn't used ta bein' 'round.

"You have a void in your heart, Daryl." She whispered, voice even lower this time to the point in which he could barely detect what she had said, though he could still regrettably pick up what she had declared.

"'Scuze me?" He growled, flickin' the butt of his cigarette onto the ground at their feet as the girl simply gazed up through the trees and at the black sky sprinkled with glowing white stars that bathed them in faint light. However, the blonde did not seem wavered whatsoever by his aggressive tone.

"I don't know what it's from, I won't pretend to know why. I have my theories, my ideas and my thoughts but...I find you hard to read. And maybe it isn't my business at all but..." She paused before turning those big brown eyes to 'im to meet his hardened blue ones, "I just want you to know that you don't have to leave the void empty. And though you can't fill it, you can keep it from growing."


	13. Chapter 13: Serum

**Eugh ;_; So I originally had a nice long note typed up here but my browser closed out just as I was almost done editing this entire chapter _ So I am simply going to shorten it down this time. But I have made yet another 8k words chapter ;_; RIP me. I have two questions for you guys though that I'd truly love to have answered in a review or a PM please!**

 **1\. I wrote this chapter differently by not making every paragraph written and narrated with Daryl's dialect. I found it easier to type/read (my opinion) and just wanted to know if you all liked it better this way or the previous way! Please let me know!**

 **2\. I also wanted to know if you all enjoy reading inside the character's heads so much and enjoy having the story written with some much detail. I realize that actually in my story there is very little dialogue compared to descriptive paragraphs and the thoughts of the character's. I just wanted to know if you all enjoyed seeing into their heads as well. Please let me know!**

 **Thanks lots for the 40+ follows on this btw guys! I really appreciate it! Please be sure to leave me a review with your thoughts, questions and ideas as you all truly inspire me to keep on writing! Keep on reading, thanks for the love and views!**

 **P.S. Sorry if there are some grammatical and/or spelling mistakes in this one. I had it all perfectly reviewed and almost finished when Google Chrome closed out and I lost all of my revising :/ It's getting late so for now I have to leave it, sorry guys. Hopefully tomorrow I can fix it up.**

* * *

Daryl woke the next morning in a murky haze. It countered each of his senses with something that practically blinded him in every way possible, leaving him startled as he first awoke. Whether it be an overwhelming drowsiness, aching bones, numb muscles or even just blood-covered fists he felt drained. All of that combined with the havoc that had swallowed the entire camp the night before he had to admit that he felt as if he was one of the walker's. Nonetheless despite feeling so dead and dreary, the sore hunter hauled himself out of his cot with a deep grunt before sliding on his boots and using his hand to brush his bedhead from his face. He looked over to Ellie after finishing up lacing his bulky brown shoes, admiring how peaceful she looked as she slept.

She was curled into the fetal position, long platinum blonde locks tossed about everywhere and falling past her past, covering parts of her face and framing her petite stature lovingly as she rested. Her fist was coiled gently against her right cheek, leaning on it as she silently remained unconscious with the sheet tucked over only her lower half due to the early morning heat. Her pouted lips were parted in a serene manner as her breath came out shallow and soft, her large doe-like eyes closed perfectly with her long eyelashes curling above them and those signature eyebrows knitted together in that adorable manner he found so appealing- she simply looked like a piece of art laying there. Like something you'd see in a museum in Paris. Something simply perfect.

After finally forcing himself to stop gawking at the unconscious girl, Daryl unzipped the entrance to the tent and made his way out into the clearing to see a good handful of others already awake. He observed Glenn and Morales hauling the ravaged bodies of walker's that he assumed weren't previously members of their own camp due to their lack of decay to a small bonfire where they usually ate dinner. The two were already drenched in their own sweat from the blistering rays of the southern sun, dripping like they just stepped out of a steaming shower as well as were just as covered in the sticky blood of the dead. A few feet away from them was Dale, who was speaking quietly with Rick in a hushed tone as Lori clutched Carl nearby with a look of terror spread across her thin face. Following the bony woman's gaze, Daryl ultimately saw what she was gazing at so intently.

Under the shade of the RV's awning sat Andrea with the pale corpse of her younger sister, Amy. The eldest blonde looked simply bedraggled- hair spewed amok, piercing blue eyes bloodshot to hell, covered in her own sister's blood. The sight was horrific he had to admit and found himself not blaming Lori for staring over at the two with such stoned eyes. He found himself emphasizing with Andrea, nonetheless though. He knew what it was like to lose a sibling in such a gruesome way. Though he couldn't quite say that he saw it happen right before his very eyes.

 _Thankfully._

"Daryl." He heard the gruff voice of Shane behind him, calling out for once without authority and more so out of exhaustion.

Turning to face the ex-cop, he watched as the bulky man met his gaze steadily and handed him a pickaxe to assist the others in making sure any corpses still laying around stayed that way. He simply gave him a nod, neither of them having much energy to really retort to the other, let alone even speak.

The redneck turned from Shane then and set to work. He worked hard in the blistering sun, feeling the rays already burning his skin to a lobster red despite it being so early. He swung hard too, event though his bones and muscles all shrieked with pain at any type of movement that he made anymore. Simply breathing felt like a task anymore he had to admit. Such grisly labor didn't help much either, though he knew it had to be done.

After working for what felt to be hours upon hours of lifting and dragging and burning corpses along with the occasional pickaxe to the head, Daryl noticed Ellie finally emerging from the tent. The girl looked wild as ever as she stepped out into the sunny clearing with her pale bedhead strewn about in every direction. The sun hitting her glazed eyes in a way that made them glisten like chocolate stars and her snow-white skin practically sparkle, he had to admit she practically looked like some fucking forest fairy of the sorts. She had those features that just made you admire her in an elven way almost. From her soft features, her long hair that curled down in wisps to her hips and her tiny petite frame- she practically shit pixie dust when she walked.

 _Eugh._ He thought irritably, _Yer such a fuckin' fag Dixon._

Though as he admired her all the more and scolded himself for it equally, he saw Lori eyeing him with a look in her dark brown eyes that he couldn't quite identify. Much to his own relief he realized that it wasn't one laced with scorn or contempt for once and more so one full of pity and hope. Strangely enough, he wasn't really able to detect what the actual hell she was pitying him for let alone hoping for. Especially since he had arrived at this god forsaken camp that woman had done nothing but look down on and ridicule him for things that damn nobody could even help. Things like his vulgar etiquette, his dirty and rugged appearance and just overall him he guessed. However now there was no trace of any of that in the woman's gaze. And for some reason it freaked him the fuck out.

"Can I help you?" He growled in her direction, tossing the pickaxe deftly over his shoulder to give the woman a glacial stare. She seemed a bit startled at first, though. He guessed that she'd expected a warm response in answer to her own kind gesture, leading him to also guess that she really didn't know him well enough.

Shaking her head and sticking her hands into her back pockets, the scrawny woman strolled up to him and gazed up at him with one eye squinted against the sun before speaking, "You think admiring her from afar will be enough?"

"'Scuze me?" He snarled, feeling the usual wave of disbelief crash over him like a storm as the fire began to rekindle deep within him. He truly had thought they'd all been over this and sorted everything out like normal fucking human beings.

"No, no. Not like that." She quickly added with a faint smile spreading across her lips as she reassured him, "I mean do you think that you can live with simply admiring her from afar? It isn't good to bottle up feelings nowadays, Daryl. Not with things being the way they are."

Scoffing, the redneck shook his head at the woman and brought his pickaxe down into the head of a walker from the previous night and watched as Lori flinched slightly at the sight.

 _Weak cunt._ He thought scornfully. _Relyin' on errybody and still forcin' yer fuckin' nose inta their business._

"Yer 'maginin' things, bitch." He muttered and pulled the dripping axe from the crushed skull at their feet before tossing back onto his broad muscular shoulders.

"I-I'm not imagining anything, Daryl." She snickered and shrugged as her frizzy brown locks tossed about in the slight breeze, "You can't just ignore feelings. Not these days. They're too rare."

"You ignore Shane's." He retorted almost immediately, finding himself a bit surprised with the instant counter to the persistent woman. He knew she was only trying to help and seem like she was being compassionate, but in all honesty she was only adding fuel to the flame.

Daryl simply watched as Lori turned on her heel indignantly and stormed off into her tent calling out for Carl, leading Daryl to assume she was trying to indirectly show him that she was no longer loyal to Shane. Scoffing, he wasn't convinced.

Doing his best to ignore the pesky woman's warning from earlier, the redneck decided to check in on blondie despite what he was just warned of. He couldn't find it mattering to him, though. Especially since she was most definitely incorrect with her assumptions. Hell yeah, he gawked over Ellie. Who wouldn't and couldn't? She was damn near godly. But mutual feelings of liking and possibly even _love_? Those weren't things he knew nor ever would. He was pretty sure he didn't wanna.

"What ya up ta blondie?" He questioned the small girl as she rummaged through the pockets of a ravaged camper that he solemnly found himself recognizing as the cheap overweight greasy blonde Merle was getting frisky with for the past two months. She looked very little like she had before- obviously. She was missing most of those fake lemony shoulder-length blonde locks by now and was missing most of her ovular face that had been pressed against Merle's more than he liked to admit. She was overall bloody, battered and barely identifiable at this point and while he wasn't a fan of the girl that his brother often referred to as "Porkchop" he felt his heart wrenching a bit in her memory. She wasn't a bad person, wasn't mean, wasn't deserving of a fate such as this one...she just was a bit lonely. And had a bad taste in men.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ellie cried and scrambled backwards from "Porkchop"'s mutilated corpse with wide eyes and the woman's bloodied knife in her hand, "You knew her? I-I didn't mean to..."

Daryl scoffed and shook his head, "Was my brother's whore. Take what ya want, blondie." He muttered as if it really meant nothing to him, and while it really didn't he couldn't help but feel almost as if the woman had found a bit of a place in his heart. She was always kind to him…

"Oh..." The small girl mumbled and her large brown eyes wandered back to the woman as she crawled slowly to her side so she sift through her remaining pockets, "I know it isn't respectful but...nowadays we can't be so picky and wasteful. Even if we are grave robbing."

"Sh'won't be usin' it where she is now." The hunter remarked as the tiny girl stood up with a box cigarette's and the same hunting knife clutched against her, "Sure as hell won't be needin' those." He continued and plucked the half-empty white container from her, "Ya can keep the knife though. Best ya have somethin' ta protect yerself with. I can't be yer hero all the time."

The redneck fought back a grin as the girl's giant eyes lit up like Christmas lights when he promised her the knife, practically laughing as she ran her tiny finger over the glistening blade.

"Think Merle gave'er that knife." Daryl explained as he readied the pickaxe to delve into his brother's lost woman's skull, "Guess he really did like'r."

He watched as the girl opened her mouth to say something, a playful smile lighting up her face and her thick eyebrows raising with excitement until the terrified scream of Jacqui interrupted her.

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!"

At the sound of that, both Daryl and the small blonde both scrambled over to the clearing in front of Dale's RV where they had all been burning the bodies of the walker's that had attacked the camp to see everyone forming a wide circle surrounding the wary bearded man. As they joined in on the growing group of cautious survivor's, the hunter made sure to keep Ellie close. He sure as hell didn't want some hairy sick dude messing up their plans so close to making it home.

"I'm okay." Jim whimpered, backing up as Daryl pushed the blonde back a bit and advanced on the accused man with his pickaxe ready along his shoulder, "I'm okay."

"Show it to us." The redneck demanded as he scouted his way closer and closer to the panicking frame of Jim while wary chatter filled his ears all around. However, the infected man seemed to have other plans.

"Easy Jim!" Shane bellowed as the man swooped down and grappled a shovel to size up to the group that continued to close in on him.

"Grab him!" Daryl snarled as he glanced back to catch the conflicted gaze of Ellie. He could tell by the look in her eyes she obviously wanted them all to be safe, though he also knew that she was still concerned for Jim even if he was infected. He knew she wanted to somehow help him.

"Jim put it down!" Shane ordered aggressively and cautiously inched closer to the dangerously armed man, "Put it down!" He yelled just in time for T-Dog to sneak up behind the bitten victim and quickly pin his arms behind his back, causing the man to drop the shovel.

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Jim whimpered repeatedly as Daryl pounced forward and lifted up his tattered bloody shirt to reveal a ferocious bite mark that sunk deep into the hairy man's ribs while Glenn deftly snatched the shovel from their feet. "I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm okay."

* * *

"I say we put a pickaxe in 'is head and the dead girl's and be done wit'it." Daryl declared gruffly to the group of camper's that had surrounded one another to form a small circle while Jim sat solemnly along the RV on an overturned crate.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane hissed, glaring at the sweaty redneck from under the brim of his sheriff's ball cap.

"Yeah, and I'd think you while you did it." The hunter spat while Ellie stood silently by his side, still holding the knife she'd been awarded only minutes ago before the outbreak of Jim's infection with low eyes that simply scanned her small feet.

"I hate to say it," Dale started while shaking his head, "and I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl's right."

Surprised, the sweaty hunter shot the elderly man a shady look of gratitude before Rick spoke up, "Jim's not a monster, Dale. Or some rabid dog."

"I'm not suggesting-" The white-bearded man declared, only to be cut off by the indignant argument of Rick.

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" The ex-sheriff's deputy pressed as Shane attempted to quiet down the fearful whispers of the rest of the group.

"The line's pretty clear." Daryl piped up, letting his pickaxe fall from his shoulder's and to his side, "Zero tolerance for walker's, or them to be."

"What if we can get him help?" Rick tried desperately, "I heard the CDC was workin' on a cure."

"I heard that too. I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane put in gently, obviously trying to help his friend make sense of the situation though still somehow attempting to make what ever decision he knew was right.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick urged, to which Shane told him was a stretch and he immediately demanded to know why and declared that if there was any government left or any structure at all that they'd protect the CDC at all costs. He further demanded that it was their best shot and continuously declared that they had shelter, protection and such, though Shane wasn't having any of it.

"Okay, Rick, you want all those things, alright? I do too, okay?" Shane argued heftily, "Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori sighed and shifted her feet beside Rick, her arms crossed indignantly over her bony chest.

"That's right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me if that place I-"

"That hot zone is where we need ta be!" Daryl interrupted, swinging his arm forward angrily, "We gotta get her ta the CDC ya fuckin' idiot!"

"Daryl, calm down!" Rick hissed and barred the redneck's way with his arm sternly as he tried to pounce at Shane, "The military was on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun! We've all _seen_ that. The CDC is our only choice, Jim's best chance and Ellie's destination."

Felling anger begin to rise in him as Shane continued to fight with Rick about the subject, Daryl simply glanced back at Jim with a narrowed gaze before interrupting the two bickering ex-cops, "You go lookin' fer aspirin. Do what you need ta do." He began and readied his pickaxe while turning to advance on Jim, "Someone needs to have the balls to take care of this damn problem!"

Though, as the fuming hunter came face-to-face with the infected eyes of Jim he stopped mid-pace as he felt the metallic barrel of Rick's gun click against his head. However, it was what the tiny blonde girl did that made his stomach churn with anger.

Almost as quickly as Rick and Daryl had taken off in the direction of the fearful Jim, she'd thrown herself in front of the redneck and directly into the line of fire. Straight up where she'd taken the bullet directly through her left eye if the ex-sheriff fired. Both men, if not the entire camp, seemed to be in shock at her gesture as a series of gasps and bewildered gazed settled upon them all. However, the look in Rick's eyes was the one that seemed to be the most stunned.

The man's piercing blue gaze shakily met Ellie's as the minuscule hellfire met his gaze without flinching, ready to stand her ground against the entire camp if need be. And goddamn Daryl couldn't decide if it turned him on or made him furious.

Having this girl throw herself into the line of fire much like he had for her only a day ago he found himself beyond conflicted. She was the goddamn cure- the world's savior! And here she was about to take a bullet to the brain for some good-for-nothing redneck backwoods hick that was nothing to this world. He wouldn't be a loss, no one would miss him...But her?

Daryl watched as Shane took his place behind the trembling, sweaty frame of Jim with a hard look that practically taunted the redneck to try something stupid while Rick lowered his gun slowly from the girl's head.

"We may disagree on some things, but not this." The bulkier of the two ex-cop's warned him from the rear, "Now you put it down. Go on."

Reluctantly, the angered hunter threw his pickaxe down and stormed off towards his tent. He knew, almost instinctively, that blondie would be right behind him. He couldn't decide if he wanted her to be or not yet, though.

* * *

Once the redneck entered the slightly cooler shade of the tent's containment, he quickly began to stuff his blankets and few pieces of tattered clothing into his bags as the entrance's flaps opened again to reveal the equally-sweaty Ellie.

The redneck didn't even turn to acknowledge her presence, nonetheless, and simply kept sloppily packing up his things as she asked him what he was doing.

"Packin' my things. Yer's too or whatever lil bit ya have." He muttered and tossed her his duffel bag, "Ya help out too. We're leavin' in'a bit."

"Packing?" She questioned and paced forward so that she stood beside the redneck, "Leaving?"

"Ya heard me, blondie. Ya may'a got shot in tha leg but ya ears still work." Daryl growled and tossed his filled bag towards the tent's entrance, "Now get ta packin'."

"Why are you being so cold?" She whispered from beside him, her eyes casting downwards to gaze at her feet as her fingers ran along the sharp edges of the blade, "We're all on the same team here, Daryl...No one here is your enemy."

Scoffing, the redneck shook his head at the girl before turning to walk across to Merle's old cot while tossing up the sheets into a messy ball before stuffing them into his brother's old pack, "Stop buggin' me an' jus' do what I say."

"Daryl!" The tiny girl suddenly snapped, her meek voice shooting up into an even higher pitch as she gripped the knife in her hand tight enough to almost draw blood and he turned to eye her with a flaming gaze.

"Whataya want now, huh?" He bellowed and closed in on the girl so that he could glare straight down into those eyes that drove him crazy, "What the fuck could you possibly need now? Ain't I done'a enough for ya?! Ain't erryone done 'nought for ya?! Fuckin' savin' ya left n' right, feedin' ya, givin ya shelter! What the hell else could ya possibly want a dumb bitch?!"

As soon as he hissed the venomous retort, he knew he regretted them immediately. He didn't mean any of it, but god damn if he admitted to any of that. However, the girl seemed unwavered. Even more so she seemed determined. As if it were her mission to stare down this man four times her size and to tear down any boundaries he fucking had.

She had now stepped up closer to him, practically so that they touched before she spoke again, "I need to know if you're with me." She muttered and seared that tantalizing chocolate brown glare deep into his glacial blue one. She wasn't faltered, wasn't afraid and sure as hell wasn't about to back down now after what they'd been through. She wasn't about to let him get under her skin like this.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" He growled, narrowing his eyes to slits as he felt his fists begin to ball-up. He knew his knuckle's weren't turning white because he wanted to knock this little thing on her ass, but simply because he wasn't used to this type of fight from a woman. Sure as hell none in this camp or any he'd grown up with all his life. She was something crazy. Something wild.

"I need to know if I can fully trust you…" She began sternly, her eyebrows knitting together in that way he had now grown accustomed to as well as found himself practically drooling over, "And if you can fully trust me."

Taken aback quite a bit, Daryl found himself stunned in the path of this ferocious little thing. He'd never be challenged this way in his entire life, not this way at least. Of course Merle had always taunted him and tried to get him to crack and fall underneath of his elder reign- that was something he was used to. But to have someone like her testing and opposing something such as their loyalty to the other? Or more importantly his to her? It was something fresh and daunting that lay ahead of him. It was something that he'd never been countered with...It was a whole new ballgame.

However, as he pondered continuously at the thought of promising this tiny little blonde his everlasting devotion and obedience...he couldn't find a reason not to. Of course, he'd never really dedicated himself verbally to someone in this way. With him and Merle it was something that came tied through blood, lawful and unspoken and forever aligned without ever needing a word's acknowledgment. But something like this? He had a choice to whether he wanted to promise his dedication. It wasn't a forced agreement that bound them through bad blood. It was something that bonded them together and formed the faithfulness through experience and events. It was something he'd never had before. And from this girl trying to fight her way through numerous armed survivors to save him from the mighty Shane's headlock, to her trusting him to get her to the CDC and of course her stepping in front of a gun for him...he couldn't see why he wouldn't take this girl's offer. He sure as hell trusted her and knew that she could trust him.

Finally, nodding softly he spoke his final promise, "Ya got me, blondie." He assured her as a small smile spread across her luscious lips and her eyebrows began to fall softly back to their normal place, "And I got ya."

* * *

They'd buried Amy and the others before leaving the quarry later that day and deciding that they would ultimately all go to the CDC- _together_. This was much to Daryl's own pleasure, obviously, seeing as he wanted to get her to the CDC at all costs and even he- being the king asshole of hard head's- knew that it would be much easier to trek into the city with a group. However, they had attempted to bring the dying Jim with them at the demand of Rick, but the man sadly admitted that he could not make the journey any longer and requested them to all leave him on the side of the road. He said that he wanted to die in peace and the way that he had deserved to. It's what he had wanted and it was what Daryl had wanted since the beginning so that he could get blondie to the CDC without anymore interruptions. And Ellie, of course, also knew that she was not only potentially ending this two month long nightmare but was finally granting Grace her wish. She would finally be able to let the beautiful redhead rest in peace.

"Do you want to play a game?" She asked the redneck from beside him as they drove along the Georgia highway in his old dirty pickup. They'd been on the road for a good two hours by now since they'd left the destroyed sanctuary of the quarry and either had barely spoken a word. Residing in silence, one of the most profound things that seemed to conquer this world nowadays even more than the walking corpses themselves, found itself swallowing the atmosphere whole. Neither had tried to pick up on a conversation, nor start one from scratch and therefore that overwhelming quietness kept its reign all the more longer. However, as the faint outline of the city grew visible along the horizon Ellie figured that their promise back at camp had to compensate for this unruly tranquility. And what better way to shatter the silence than with something joyous such as a game?

Scoffing, the youngest Dixon didn't seem to quite pick up on her attempt to enlighten their situation and simply bit into his thumbnail and kept one hand on the wheel to steer before speaking gruffly, "If ya try ta get me ta play another round of _I Spy_ yer little ass is walkin' ta the fuckin' CDC, blondie."

Glancing to the side, the redneck saw the small girl's eyebrows knitting together in her predictable fashion as she narrowed those huge eyes to chocolate brown slits full of fire, "It isn't _I Spy_!" She argued, shifting onto her knees and turning to that she faced the unimpressed hunter, "It's a game my dad taught me that soldier's would always played to help form bonds and trust between them and their comrades so that they could comfortably rely on the other in times of need. It was called _Serum_ I think."

Daryl gave the girl an amused sideways glare before letting out a snort and turning his eyes back to the road, "The fuck we need ta play that for?" He muttered and stuck his left arm out of the open truck window.

"Do you have short term memory loss or something?" The blonde scoffed playfully as she shifted closer to the sweaty man, "We have to tell each other stuff that will help us trust the other. Like our fears and such."

"Sounds fuckin' stupid." The redneck growled before spitting out of the window, "Ain't scared'a nothin'."

"Mhm, yeah. Okay, big tough man. We'll start off slow and I'll go first then." Ellie pressed before sliding over to sit directly beside him and propped her tiny feet up on the dash to lean her back against the stained, cigarette-scented upholstery, "I'm afraid of drowning." She breathed softly as her dark eyes searched the raggedy ceiling of the old Ford expressionlessly, "It's almost like...you can hear yourself dying. Because everything is so silent around you when you're underneath the water. Like you can't hear anything but the life slowly leaving your own body. It isn't like being eaten alive or burning to death- anything like that. Because you are calm when you're down there and you can see everything clearly. There isn't a frenzy or a craze. It's just quiet. So silent, so empty...that you almost don't mind it. That it almost feels peaceful- tranquil. Your death seems so...welcoming."

For a moment Daryl found himself a bit stunned. He hadn't expected something like that to come out of the girl's mouth- especially not something so deep or heartfelt...let alone so personal. Especially from someone who didn't seem to welcome death whatsoever. So hearing her talk about welcoming it, or at least welcoming this type of death, was quite a bit unnerving.

"How the hell is that starting off slow?" The gruff hunter blurted out, almost a bit shocked at how insensitive that he sounded himself. The girl had obviously felt strongly about the subject enough to put so much thought into it and to present it to him as her confession for her _Serum_ game so he knew he should have been a bit more gentle with his response. Sadly, gentle wasn't a thing Dixon's knew all too well, "Doesn't matter anyways." He added, trying to enlighten his outburst from a few moments ago, "All that drownin' n' stuff. Not like ya be dyin' that ways nowadays. Not with the world like it is now, blondie."

Turning her head over to gaze softly at the redneck with a small smile, Ellie let out a snicker, "That isn't the point, Daryl." She breathed outwardly, almost as if she was trying to explain something to a young child, "It's not the fact of what I tell you or if and if not it will happen but it's the fact that I trust you with something like that...Plus I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

Raising his eyebrows, he scoffed and shook his head, "N' why's the hell that?"

Drawing her tiny legs from the dashboard and up to her chest, Ellie laid her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around her shins to gaze up warmly at him, "Because I was always taught that you need to be brave enough not to fear death, but you need to also be brave enough to fight it. And I embraced each of those long ago. Tattooed them into my DNA. Death's just not for me."

"No one thinks they're gonna die, blondie. But death is inevitable. 'Is gonna happen." Daryl muttered and narrowed his eyes against the harsh rays of the sun as well as the girl's words, "We all die no matter what, just'a matter of when."

"I know that, I'm not in denial or anything. But the matter of when is what you do have control of- at least to a certain extent- and that is what I cling to." Ellie replied and tightened her arms around her legs, "Even if that extent isn't so exponential or great nowadays you still have some sort of control over it if you're willing to fight for it. And I know that I am."

 _Gotta lotta fight fer someone whose damn near the size of a fifth grader._

Though he had to admit she was impressive, especially despite what she had been through and how she was built. He admired that her situation never brought her down and that she never let the loss beat her into nothingness. He couldn't help but fall into a state of perpetual awe whenever she spoke so such deep and meaningful words that he never knew could even come out of a human's mouth. She was incredibly strong- mentally and even somehow fucking physically while weighing in at a mighty ninety-five pounds. But hell, she was ninety-five pounds of pure animal. And not just any animal but a certain breed that you don't find donning a petite stature and pretty blonde hair with eyes like a newborn baby deer's. She was the type of animal that took you by surprise when you least expected it. She was the type that was beautiful and deadly. The type that you don't expect to strike with such ferocity that it nearly knocks you off of your damn feet. She was a lamb that became a lion. She was someone who he could find himself enjoy being around without wanting to gouge out his own eyes. She was unpredictable and stunning and always adapted to her situation so that she could thrive for not only herself but for others. She was a fighter- a survivor. Just like an animal.

"That so?" He mumbled halfway underneath of his breath as his thoughts faltered in and out of his cognition, almost as if he was unconsciously fawning over the girl as a whole. Hell, it was hard not to anymore.

"Mhm." She answered simply and gazed up at him with those big doe-like eyes and raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue, "You're turn."

"My favorite color's green." He muttered simply and kept his eyes on the road as the girl's head shot up beside him with an appalled gasp of disbelief.

"I tell you my worst fear and you tell me something I already know?" Ellie pouted, though she obviously found the response quite a bit comedic, "What's your infatuation with green anyways? Do you have some sort of weird color kink?"

"Color kink, the fuck? Is that even'a thing?" The redneck exclaimed, almost slamming his foot on the brake in astonishment at her proclamation.

 _This girl really is fuckin' wild._

"I don't know. We're living in a world where dead people come back to life and eat the living." She observed as her mouth parted into a smile while trying to hold back a playful laugh, "So is that really so hard to believe?"

Glancing sideways at Ellie as they turned onto a road with unlit streetlights that led up onto a humongous building made of glass and windows, both of their attention immediately snapped from the subject and onto something all the more realistic than a color fetish:

"We made it."

* * *

As each of the four vehicles pulled into a straight line a suitable distance from the looming destination ahead of them, Ellie gave him a look mixed with mutual excitement as well as fear. They both knew that this was it. This was the moment they'd been talking about for the past week or so now. This was their moment of truth. Their moment of revelation. Both of their journey's were finally coming to an end.

Hopping out of the truck on either side, both Daryl and Ellie quickly caught up with the group as they formed a small cluster along the pale sidewalk. The small band of survivor's were all practically silent as they looked around at the seemingly-overrun and abandoned lawn as well as the building it surrounded with wide eyes. There were countless corpses spread along the grass and handful of benches that scouted along the edges of the yard along with two or three abandoned tanks and military vehicles. Luckily enough, none of the bodies seemed to stir even at the sounds of the group creeping warily along the blood-stained pavement and as far as the redneck could tell they were the only threat creeping up on the glass building. But despite the eerie silence that hung heavy in the air besides the petulant buzzing of thousands of flies that washed over them in cautionary waves, the redneck couldn't help but feel that the scene among them screamed almost inevitably only one thing: _turn the hell around_.

For some reason even with the CDC being their ultimate destination and chance at survival and redemption, Daryl couldn't help but become unnerved with the overall look of the place. From the overrun army vehicles, to the hundreds of lifeless corpses that littered the whole front lawn and just the overall rundown and lifeless building that laid behind it all- nothing about it seemed as promising as it had in his head all this time.

He'd always imagined his and Ellie's target being something welcoming and fortified with soldier's plastered along the yard with fences strewn up and sentries aiming rifles all along anything that even moved. He'd always thought they'd arrive and have to flinch against a large spotlight as it beamed down on them while the deep, commanding voice of a military grunt ordered and questioned them about their intentions and whether they were alive or not. He had never pictured it this way. So defeated, so dark and so empty. He could feel his hope dwindling.

"Stay quiet, let's go." Shane instructed them all in a hushed tone as he and Rick began to lead the group cautiously through the lengthy maze of reeking remains and stained sandbags that the military had set up weeks ago.

Daryl and T-Dog brought up the back while the rest of the group huddled into a tight cluster with Dale supervising the flanks. The redneck found himself admiring the alert little blonde that was stalking in front of him with the knife that he had awarded her earlier that day drawn and ready to strike. He had to admit that even now with such a perplexed situation unfolding in front of them along with the CDC being quite possibly a huge bust, he found himself glad to still be with her. It wasn't even in an intimate way for once. He wasn't ogling over her beauty or tight body, but was in fact wallowing in the solace that he knew someone had his back other than Merle- who just so happened to be gone as far as they knew. He was simply grateful to have someone to rely on and to trust nowadays. Everyone and anyone knew that you couldn't survive without people...Trustworthy and fierce ones at that.

"Okay, stay close." Rick warned as they trekked closer and closer to the looming building that strayed only a few yards ahead of them now, "Keep moving. Come on." The group obliged, however not without a muffled wave of stifled coughs, gags and "Sh's!".

"Stay close." Daryl muttered softly to the girl who simply looked at him from the corner of her chocolatey-brown eyes and replied with a small nod. He already knew that she could take care of herself, though he couldn't help but let his protectiveness get the best of him in such a perilous situation.

However, as the group approached the fortified and seemingly-locked down front doors of the CDC is when Daryl took note of how the daylight was barely there. The group of survivors was now wandering through the dim darkness of the late evening by now and was extremely close to what Shane liked to call a "hot zone". AKA Atlanta. And this, much like the others, was not something he was all too fond of.

Though as Rick and Shane tried the shutter-locked doors and found to no avail that there was a way in is when he felt defeat and panic rising within him.

"There's no one here." T-Dog voiced, glancing around wildly as the gloomy darkness began to engulf the worn group. By now they were all obviously thinking the same thing.

 _No, no._ Daryl thought desperately before stepping forward in an attempt to lift the shutters that closed them out from the outside himself to find no different outcome than Rick and Shane's attempts. _No, no.  
_  
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick retorted as Daryl stepped back from the bolted down metallic to take his place beside Ellie again. As he gazed at the girl beside him he was unable to make out her expression. She seemed emotionless, dark. Her entire demeanor was simply downcast and it looked almost as if her eyes were completely black as she stared at the blood-stained pavement below them. But he knew that she simply saw it and felt it too.

 _That there is no hope._

"Walkers!" Daryl bellowed and whipped around as a handful of dark figures caught his eye. He heard a series of wails and cries as he shot his first arrow and cast the tiny blonde a look as she stanced herself beside him.

"You got my back, I got yours." She told him softly and he replied with a simple nod.

"You led us into a graveyard!" Glenn hissed in a whisper as his eyes darted around in all directions wildly, clutching his shotgun tightly as more reeking bodies began to descend upon them.

"He made a call." Dale growled in the Asian boy's direction, immediately hushing him and he ducked his head in apology.

"It was the wrong damn call!" T-Dog argued and stepped forward to meet the angered form of Shane who forced the large dark-skinned man backwards while ordering him to shut up.

"Rick this is a dead end." Shane continued and started for the other ex-sheriff and attempted to pull him away by the arm.

"Where are we gonna go?!" Carol cried and clutched Sophia tighter to her as the young girl sobbed into her mother's blouse.

"Shut that little girl up!" Daryl hissed, earning an indignant hiss from Shane who was desperately trying to usher his best friend away from the blockaded entrance.

"Do you hear me?" Shane insisted, tugging at the stone-set sheriff as he kept trying to find a way in, "No blame."

"Shane's right, we can't be here this close to the city after dark!" Lori cried, trying to somehow pull her husband away with her words to no avail.

"Fort Benning, Rick." Shane persuaded sternly, "Still an option."

"On what?" Andrea hissed, shooting the bulky man a blazing glare, "No food, no fuel- that's a hundred miles."

"A hundred-twenty five, I checked the map." Glenn fretted and shifted stealthily on his feet.

"Forget Fort Benning!" Lori cried over the sobs of Carl who clung tightly to her thin frame, "We need answers tonight! Now!"

Turning around, Rick looked over the group and held up his hand in an attempt to calm them, "Sh, sh! We'll think of something!"  
However, none of them seemed to acknowledge the reassurance of Rick as they all began to regather in an attempt to head back to the cars beneath a series of hushes, "Come on!"'s, "Stay quiet!"s and desperate cries for the sheriff to come on. And everyone obliged with the majority of the group...all except Rick and Ellie.

The two stood side-by-side and simply gazed at the metallic shutters that stood between them and the salvation that they had hoped for for so long while the others screamed at them to follow. They were searching for something- anything- just to show them that it was there and it wasn't lost. That they hadn't been wrong and that their dreams weren't dreams but they were the reality that would save them all. And that's when Rick did.

"The camera." Rick choked out suddenly, causing everyone to turn around and gaze at him with fear-filled eyes, "It moved."

"You imagined it." Dale warned from his place beside the fretful Andrea, who seemed more than keen to quickly get back to the safety of the elderly man's RV.

"It moved." Rick breathed and drew himself closer to the small circular white machine that hung in a corner by the towering doors. The small blonde followed the man, and squinted hard at it as well and attempted to pick up on any bit of slight movement that he had...and she did.

"It moved." Ellie repeated and looked to the side to meet Rick's stunned ice blue gaze, "It moved."

"Rick." Shane growled and took his place beside the clean-shaven man, "It's dead man, it's automated gears. It's just winding down. Now come on!" The two men engaged in a small altercation as Rick did his best to fight against Shane's restraint with his eyes staying locked on the small white device while the rest of the group sobbed and called out for him to follow, "It's dead man! It's dead! Let it go, Rick! Let it go!"

With those final words the ex-sheriff sprung forward and pounded on the shutters with all of his might and he called out to the camera as if he was pleading for his own life, "I know you're in there! I know you can hear me!" He cried as Lori screamed at him that there was no one in there from behind and Shane attempted to drag him away once more, "Please we're desperate! Please help us!"

Daryl slowly appeared beside the silent blonde as she stared into the desolate lens with dark eyes before taking her good wrist in his hand, "Gotta go girl." He whispered, "Gotta go." Though, much to his own disdain the small girl didn't budge much like Rick and he prepared to haul her over his shoulder if need be as Rick's pleas continued.

"We have women, children! No food, hardly any gas left! Nowhere else to go!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as Lori jumped in front of him and attempted to push the man back to the group while Shane warned everyone to keep their eyes open as the walker's dawned closer and closer, "If you don't let us in you're killing us! YOU'RE KILLING US!" With that the bulky ex-cop stepped forward and linked his muscled arm his friend's neck and hauled him backwards with a mighty heave while Rick kept crying out to the machine, "Please, please!"

As Rick continued to declare that the CDC was killing them all, Daryl linked his own arm around Ellie's waist and began to pull her away. And as soon as she felt this she was having none of it.

"No!" She shrieked suddenly as the redneck tried to pull the heavy leaden girl away from the shutters as Shane did with Rick, "NO!"

Her cried broke his heart. They absolutely shattered it. In fact he could barely stand to listen to them as she struggled against him and called out in unison with Rick for whoever was in there to open the doors. He knew that she was crying out for a whole different reason than the desperate ex-sheriff, however. While he was begging for the lives of his family and this group, Ellie was begging for the honor of Grace's death. She was begging that her beloved friend did not die in vain.

"It's me!" She wailed, slipping under the tight grip of Daryl's muscled arm and stumbling forward to glare directly into the camera so that she knew she would be making eye contact with whomever- if there even someone- behind the machine, "It's Elizabeth Weiss! Quarantine number 5119!"

And almost immediately after that the shutters opened and bathed them all in a dazzling white light that practically blinded the small group of survivor's, causing them to flinch against the blinding whiteness.

 _You did it, blondie._


	14. Chapter 14: Save the Last One

**Wow! Another chapter only about after, what? Four, five days or so? I must say I am proud! Even though it wasn't written in Daryl dialect completely I hope you all still enjoy it as it does explain quite _a lot_. It is also quite a decent length as well (about 6k+ words) so I hope that is satisfying ^^. I decent amount of things happen in this chapter to finally get the storyline up and running. Hopefully you all enjoy this! Thanks for reading and please, please don't forget to post a review! (Which people have been quite generous with much to my own enjoyment! I am still answering a few from last chapter! Thanks again especially for those and apologies if I haven't gotten to yours yet ;_; )**

 **P.S. Thank you all so much for 50 followers on this story! I never expected it to honestly get past 10 lol...But I really do appreciate it and all of your guys' support! You all are my inspiration!**

 **P.S.S. The name of this chapter is not only derived from the fact of Ellie being _"the last one"_ as well as Jenner calling her as the last one for her blood being drawn but it is also a reference to the Season 2, Episode 3 of TWD named "Save The Last One" :D.**

* * *

A light. A blinding, overwhelming, white light that filtered through the now-open doors of the CDC which made it seem almost as if the group had died and went to heaven. As if they'd each somehow expired all at once when the shutters flew up and bathed them all in the searing ivory illumination. It was as if they'd now had found eternal sanctuary and no longer needed the worry. And in a way _they had_.

At first the small cluster of frightened survivor's froze at the sudden motion, almost as if they couldn't believe that it had actually occurred. That somehow those doors opened and revealed the ultimatum that was their strive for life. That somehow Rick had been right. That somehow Ellie had been right. That somehow they now had the potential to save the world. That somehow now Daryl managed to get her to here she needed to be.

However, once the group of survivor's snapped back to recognition of what had finally happened, they jumped into immediate action once the blinding light shut off. They stood at the entrance for a moment, observing the dimly-lit lobby that laid ahead of them before Rick took a cautious step into the cool building. After that one step, though, they all launched forward in a panicked state of revival and forced their way into the chill corridor that held each of their fate's.

Rushing forward, Daryl snatched Ellie's arm into his tight grip and hauled her heftily into the CDC's vestibule before tucking her body tightly against his when Shane ordered the redneck to cover the back. He angled his crossbow as a walker strayed close to the raised shutters and quickly shot a bolt into its mangled forehead, watching as it fell limply to the ground at the feet of a dozen other looming corpses. He began to aim again when suddenly the gruff hunter started to realize that there were far more walker's coming at them then he'd originally observed. He pointed his bow at each of their heads and felt a creeping overwhelming weight of panic settling upon his shoulders when he couldn't make up which to take out first. They all seemed like a credible shot but he was running low on arrows and energy by now...

"Close those doors!" Dale warned in a silent hiss, causing Glenn to pounce forward and haul the large glass doors shut right in the face of two snarling walkers.

Nodding a small thanks to the scrawny Asian before turning to gaze at the taut blonde by his side, Daryl found himself noticing how stunned the small girl seemed. He wasn't sure if it was fear, adrenaline or disbelief but the way that her dark eyes dilated and her heart-shaped jaw clenched tightly made him sure that there was a lot more going on within that pretty little head than the rest of theirs.

"Watch for walkers." The elderly man spoke up again as he fell into place beside Glenn and Carol, scanning the lobby with his shotgun drawn before shooting a wary gaze in Ellie's direction.

The redneck could tell that the two shared a small bond that must've formed during his trek into Atlanta back at the quarry. He wasn't sure how the white-bearded man did it, nor did he really care how, though he could find himself growing a bit jealous that someone else had grown close to blondie. Despite what had occurred earlier between the two, counting each of their small quarrels and venom-tipped words he found it enjoyable that he was the only person that she truly trusted out of the group. Not that he didn't want her to find solace in the others and be able to depend on them, he just took pride in being the only one who could get a look into the complicated little head of hers.

"Hello?!" Rick called out as they all began to filter in through the large hazy building and almost immediately after the man spoke they all heard an unfamiliar gun cock, causing them each to spin around locked and loaded. This caused them to come face-to-face with a wary blonde-haired man that was extremely tall, at least 6'3 and in his mid-40s with some type of automatic weapon pointed in their direction.

 _This sunuva bitch almost left us all_ _out_ _there for dead…_

"Where is she?" The stranger asked in a wary voice as he clutched the trigger of his gun tighter, trying to seem as if he was prepared for an altercation if need be. However, the youngest Dixon could tell that their savior barely had any idea how to work the damn thing, let alone was prepared to open fire upon a group of living people.

Though, much to Daryl's own discontent he watched as Ellie stepped forward from behind his lumbering frame and into the view of the circumspect blonde man at his call. As he watched the strange man's eyes light up with an unidentifiable spark at the sight of tiny girl, the redneck decided to listen to the gnawing uncomfortable itch within his gut and reached out his calloused hand, fastening his grasp around Ellie's arm to pull her back into him. The pale blonde shot him a look of confusion before shifting her gaze back to the suspicious armed man as he spoke up once again.

"Anybody infected?" He questioned cautiously while his stormy blue gaze raked over the newly arrived group of survivor's.

Daryl noticed Ellie tucking her bitten arm close to her side as Rick set a foot forward and made unwavering eye contact with the shady despondent man before reluctantly replying, "One of our group was...he didn't make it."

Nodding slightly, the large man heedfully took a few steps towards the strange group and licked his lips nervously, "You don't look like military. I was told a squad of soldier's would be delivering her."

Tilting his head to the side in disbelief, Daryl released the girl's wrist and stepped forward with a scowl fixed on his face, "Yeah, well, they were told the CDC was sendin' back-up, doc. Lookin' like that never happened either."

Shaking his head, the blonde man lowered his weapon a bit as a mutual look of befuddlement spread across his own profile, "The caravan never made it off of the grounds. They were...overrun."

Scoffing, Daryl aimed his crossbow perfectly between the eyes of their savior, "Didn't think ta send more?"

"They were all that was left." The man explained with a pained look on his face, "There was...no one else to send. So all we could do was hope that she somehow got here- which she did."

 _Yeah, 'cause'a me._

"But what happens to the rest of us?" Rick piped up, a look of uncertainty glittering in his icy blue eyes as his gaze rested pleadingly on the bulky man.

Lowering his gun completely, the blonde man shifted his gaze over the crowd before him until finally resting his eyes solely on Rick, "I can't just leave people- especially Samaritans much like yourselves- on the street. Not with how the world is now." He explained and the group slowly started to settle their weapons to their sides as well, "You all submit to a blood test. That is the only price of admission."

Nodding fiercely, Rick assured him that they could all do that.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now." He ordered after the lead's agreement, "Once this door closes it stays closed."

At the sound of the words, the group broke into a rushed haze of grappling their bags from out front and deftly extinguishing the walker's that laid beside them before the blonde man spoke again.

"Vi," He ordered into a small keypad along the wall, "Seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here."

Jumping at the sudden sound of metal clanking and machines moving, the hunter watched as the shutters came down once again on the glass doors and shut out the horrors that roamed the streets behind them. However, something all the more startling echoed in the hunter's ears as the lone bulky man turned to the small doe-eyed girl at his side with a content smile on his face and spoke,

"I've been waiting for you."

* * *

The man said that his name was Dr. Edwin Jenner. He explained to them how they were all underground after exiting the elevator with a joke of how they all seemed harmless enough- besides Carl and that he'd have to keep an eye on him- though the thought of being subsurface to Carol didn't seem like much of a quip as she claimed to be claustrophobic. To this Jenner simply instructed her not to think about it as he led them through a lit hallway that took them into a large room full of computers and screens that covered entire walls like some sort of Star Trek movie.

"Vi," The doctor spoke as the group filtered into the space, "Bring up the lights in the big room."

Almost immediately after his order the dark room filled with gleaming fluorescent white lights that revealed numerous work stations in the center with the complicated computers upon the desks and other machines that not one of the group members could identify.

"Welcome to Zone 5."

However, there was one thing that obviously was budding within everyone's head by now as they each observed the empty desks and rolling lab chairs that scattered upon the seemingly-abandoned establishment. And, of course, Rick quickly addressed this fret as soon as the thought sparked in each of their minds.

"Where is everybody?" Their leading sheriff questioned, crestfallen, as they each gazed around the bright room with despondent eyes, "The other doctors, the staff?"

Turning to the group as he stopped in the middle of all of the work station's, Jenner's gaze fell upon the cluster with a solemn espression as he replied with a disheartening, "I'm it."

With this, each member of the group had to of froze in each of their places. At least Daryl knew he had along with Rick and Ellie. The rest had to of at least gasped in belief at the proclamation made by the doctor.

From what they all had thought and expected was a bustling lab full of white-coated geniuses shouting amongst the others as they ran countless tests and sifted strangely-colored liquids through test tubes while the others loudly typed up memos within their lab stations. They'd all expected a team, a large group of people working to defeat this thing until their very last breath granted it. They'd all expected salvation, redemption...a beginning to the end. But all they got was…

"I'm all that's left." Jenner informed the stunned group that stayed glued to each of their spots with every disheartening word he spoke, "It's just me here."

"W-What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori piped up hopefully from beside Carl who clung to his mother with all of his might, "Vi?"

A small grin tugged at the corners of Jenner's mouth as he then looked to the ceiling, "Vi, say hello to our guests." He instructed, "Tell them...welcome."

"Hello, guests." An invisible robotic voice that echoed throughout the empty lab spoke, "Welcome."

 _That's not fuckin' creepy…_

"I'm all that's left." Jenner repeated after the computerized voice finished, "I'm sorry."

* * *

"What's the point?" Andrea rasped as the doctor carefully slid a large syringe into a protruding vein within her left arm, "If we were infected we'd all be running a fever by now."

Letting out a long breath before continuing, Jenner flicked his gaze up from his handiwork along the blonde woman's arm to meet hers, "I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough."

As the man spoke, Daryl glanced down at Ellie who was standing beside him, cautiously shifting from each of her feet as she grasped her bitten wrist in her hand while her wild brown gaze eyed the bedraggled looking doctor that drew blood from Andrea a few feet away at a fold-out table. Following her line of vision, the redneck observed Jenner's hands as he began to withdraw the needle from the lanky woman's arm and noted how the way he had tied a rubber band around her area of injection was much like Merle's whenever he shot up. However, the hunter knew that that wasn't really what was bothering the girl. She'd seen far too much by now to get squeamish over something like a flu shot.

"Elizabeth." Dr. Jenner spoke softly with a comforting smile across his lips as his loving gaze set upon the fidgeting blonde beside him, "You're the last one."

Daryl felt his heart wrench as the tiny girl looked up to him with eyes full of perpetual fear while her hand clutched her bandaged wrist tightly. Biting the inside of his cheek, the redneck gave her a curt nod that silently promised that he was close if she needed him, to which she gave him one last wary glance before answering to the doctor's beckoning.

He watched stiffly as she shakily took the seat in front of the beaming man and held out her right arm for the injection, however Jenner immediately shook his head at the gesture.

"No, no. I need the left one, sweetheart." He told her gently and tapped the table softly to urge her switching of the arms, "I was always told it was easier to withdraw blood from the left veins. More blood flow as it is the _knowledge_ side of the mind."

Daryl watched from the side as his little blondie gave the man a weak smile before slowly switching out her arms and laid her bandaged one in front of them. Almost immediately a disgruntled expression spread across the doctor's face.

"What happened?" He questioned fiercely, reaching forward to gingerly peel back the surgical tape that held down the plaster of dirtied gauze along the wound. However, as soon as he removed the stained, blackened strips his eyes widened to moons and he bore his gaze into the small girl, tightening his grasp above the bite in an almost-violent manner.

"We can explai-" Rick began, standing up from his seat with the rest of his group but was instantly cut short by the indignant shout of Jenner as he yanked the girl upwards and demanded numerous answers to questions that he never even asked.

"Hey, you better take it easy 'fore I put an arrow in yer head asshole!" Daryl bellowed, pouncing forward to tear the doctor away from Ellie before Rick barred his path and tried to reason with the panicking man.

"T-The bite- it's five days old by now." Rick stammered as he tried to reason with the mortified figure of Dr. Jenner as he gingerly ran his fingertips along the edges of swelling bite that protruded violently from the blonde's arm, "Sh-She isn't going to turn. She can't- she would have already. Please."

However, the hulking doctor simply ignored the pleas of the ex-sheriff and abruptly pulled Ellie away from the group and down the hallway from which they had came towards Zone 5. He pelted the small girl with numerous questions of how, where, when, why, and who as well as countless others all the while Daryl spat insanities at the doctor from behind where he was being forcibly held back by Shane and Glenn. Rick was leading the stream of survivor's behind Jenner, though, as he urged the hysterical man to take it easy and to simply listen, nonetheless he paid little attention to the sheriff and directed all of his attention to the fearful young blonde that he hauled behind him.

As they then entered the dark room of Zone 5 once again, Dr. Jenner stopped mid-sentence with Ellie to order Vi to switch the lights on, which the computer automatically obliged, before he pulled her to the center of the room for the continuation of his nearly inaudible interrogation. Gingerly, he guided the small girl into a cushioned seat by one of the desks as he still spoke erratically to her before he cut short and turned to the group which immediately silenced at his stare.

"I appreciate the blood samples and all of your cooperation." Jenner stated as his eyes settled on Rick, "As a thanks I'd like you all to enjoy the cafeteria for your stay. There is just about damn powdered everything in there, but it still tastes fine. And feel free to take leisure in a shower- just go easy on the hot water."

"Hot water?" Glenn piped up, only to be silenced by the annoyed shushing of Dale who obviously was a bit more concerned about the small blonde's fate in the stranger's hands than a steaming shower.

"Yes, there is also a rec room you kids might enjoy." Jenner continued and ran his eyes over the now-interested pair of Carl and Sophia as their faces began to lighten, "Just don't plug in the video games- or anything that draws power at that. Otherwise take pleasure in divvying out rooms as well. Couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like."

As the rest of the group, excluding Daryl and the taut figure of Rick Grimes, chimed with perpetual joy at the thought of a joyous night, the ex-sheriff stepped forward as an uncertain look taunted across his maw, "And what about her?" He asked uneasily as Ellie fidgeted uncomfortably within the chair at Jenner's side.

Automatically the doctor gave Rick a reassuring nod and placed his hand on the girl's back, eliciting an indignant growl from deep in Daryl's throat, "She'll be fine, nonetheless busy. We have a lot to catch up on- tests and such. None of you need to worry about her, Elizabeth is in good hands."

For the first time Daryl acknowledged the fact that Jenner was calling this girl by what Ellie had addressed herself when she was pleading for the doctor do open the shutters out front- Elizabeth. The redneck had never really taken much notice of it, especially within the situation that they had been at the time. He hadn't been paying much attention to what she was yelling and yammering about at the metallic barricade before it opened as he had be more focused on getting her the hell out of there in one piece. However, as it finally did strike him it caused a light bulb to click on inside of him and he found himself wondering why he never recognized it before.

This girl's name obviously couldn't have been Ellie, especially since anyone with a damn mind was aware of it being a nickname or at least a shorter version of something else. He'd never paid much attention to it, nor thought anything of it. It was never anything special or significant. But as the discernment of the fact finally began to dawn on him it truly left him all the more curious about what else he didn't know about this girl. They'd made a promise and declaration to bond with the other- an everlasting promise that he sometimes regrettably let slip his mind- and he barely ever found himself even recalling it. However, when it did end up dancing through his thoughts is when he found his stomach often twisting into tight knots with an emotion he wasn't able to define. This is what made Daryl positive that he wanted to have this girl open up to him even more so.

"But don't you think she should rest?" Lori chided, running his bony fingers through Carl's bedraggled brown locks as she spoke, "And- and eat? She's been through a lot these past few days, we all have. I'm sure she'd appreciate some downtime."

"There is no time for downtime." Jenner fretted as he slowly started to urge Ellie back to her feet, "We're already weeks behind schedule we-"

"I dun give'a fuck if yer damn a year behind schedule ya bastard!" Daryl barked from Shane's constricted grasp around both of his arms, "Ya done scared her 'nough and damn near deafened 'er with ya fuckin' questions and now won't even let'er eat somethin'? The fuck kinda s-"

"Fine, fine!" Jenner cried in his best attempts to silence the ranting redneck, "Just at least let me prep her- get some things set up and a few mandatory tests ran. Afterward I will bring her to the cafeteria to eat with you all."

Daryl observed the hesitant faces of his own group, noting how wary they all were beginning to look at the thought of leaving this girl alone in the hands of deranged lone doctor. However, Jenner fought for his peace.

"It will take thirty minutes- at most." The hulking man pleaded as Ellie rose to her feet beside him, her dark eyes drifting across the room to meet Daryl's flaming blue ones. The group reluctantly agreed even with Daryl protesting the entire way to the kitchen. Everyone knew that the redneck had become quite protective of the young girl after saving her and making it his mission to bring her to the CDC. Everyone also knew that he wasn't too keen on leaving her alone for any amount of time with the suspicious beings of Dr. Jenner so that he could run tests on her for an hour or so.

But that is what they brought her here for after all.

* * *

He led her to a large, glass-encased lab full of white and tables with numerous racks of test tubes, machines and countless other gadgets and utensils the girl could never begin to identify. He had given her a hospital gown to change into before leaving her alone in the strange room to change for a few minutes. Ellie had peeled off her blood-stained clothing that reeked of death and carnage, tossing them into a designated washbasin instructed to her by Dr. Jenner before he had exited the room. Apparently he had wanted to test the walker particulates that clung to the fabric after running a few tests on her as well. However, as the girl gazed warily around the colorless milky room is when she began to feel wary of her situation. Ellie started to realize that she had never considered the types of tests this man would have to run on her, not even when her father had told her about them and how some of them would be a bit strange. She understood and was well aware that they were necessary, though she'd always thought that her father would be on the other side of that glass wall while the tests were being conducted. She'd always imagined him peering through at her with a proud, uptight glare that dazzled in the bright lights as his daughter fought to save the world one experiment at a time. And even after his death she had found herself hoping that Daryl would be here at least with his dirty palms pressed up against the glass as he shouted obscenities at Dr. Jenner if he'd pricked the girl too hard with a syringe. But even he wasn't here...it was just her again. It was up to her to go through this alone.

 _Alone, again.  
_  
Suddenly, feeling irrevocably vulnerable, Ellie cautiously stared around the room with large wicked eyes and raked her gaze across every little doctorate tool that lay around her. From countless scalpels, to thin metallic syringes and handfuls of other terrifyingly sharp instruments, she figured that she would be able to defend herself against this man if need be. She knew that she could take him on despite him being at least four to five times her size and having been well-rested and fed unlike her. But weaknesses and downfalls never meant much to her when it came to survival. As she knew that she could use her small stature to be more agile unlike the doctor's lumbering clumsy state, she also knew that could prey on his weaknesses as well. She could cause him to come tumbling down like a towering oak tree if she struck him in the right position- and everyone knows that the bigger they are the harder they fall. So once he came crashing down the small girl could pounce upon his back and sink one of those syringes deep into his head and then-

 _Why in the world am I thinking of all of this?_

This man- this doctor- this scientist...he was trying to help her. He was trying to help the world. He had no intentions of causing her bodily harm, at least any that he could somehow prevent. Dr. Jenner wasn't plotting anything, though he may be suspicious- but who isn't nowadays? Everyone is covered in blood and full of fear...And here this man was reaching out to these strange survivors, going against every rule in the book to help them and she was preparing to kill him.

 _What has this world made **you**?_

 _'Knock, knock'_

Jumping at the sudden sound, Ellie grasped her sides tightly before turning to peer at the door in which the noise had come. She knew that she had been taking quite a bit of time to simply change into a hospital gown and the world _was_ waiting. Clearing her throat, she choked out a response, "Come in."

The small blonde watched as the door beeped and slid horizontally open once again to reveal the hulking large man who now adorned a white lab coat. He gave her a small friendly smile that helped put her at ease as he stepped forward and allowed the door to slide closed once again and give them the privacy that they needed.

"You may want to tie your hair up- a ponytail or something of the sorts. I will need samples from your neck region because of the bruising." Dr. Jenner explained as he reached into his coat pocket and held out a pale blue rubber band in his large hand to her, "I want to observe the healing process. See how it differs from normal subject's."

Nodding softly, Ellie gingerly took the elastic and tied her long locks up into a high ponytail before looking over her shoulder at a strange splash of color pinned to the blinding white wall. Her eyes blurred a bit at the sudden change of intense contrast before she was able to make out the face of a pretty woman with red hair and a bright smile. Tilting her head to the side, Ellie switched her gaze back to the doctor and raised her eyebrows, intrigued.

"Who is that woman?" She asked Jenner as he lifted her up to place her upon a cold metal table that cast back the girl's own reflection due to its intense cleanliness, "Why is she pinned to the wall?"

Ellie watched as a pained expression filled the man's stormy blue eyes. He'd removed his hands from her waist slowly before turning around to gaze at the woman's photo with his mouth set in a straight line.

"That's my wife." He breathed shakily, a small dwindle of tears sparking in his gaze, though his voice was proud and endearing, "I keep her in here to motivate me to continue all of this- for her. Because that is what she would want for the world."

Blinking at the reminiscing man, Ellie did her best to decide how to possibly continue the conversation or at least somehow enlighten it. She knew that asking what had happened to her wouldn't be wise, nor would it be sensitive or helpful. The small girl had a few ideas floating around her head though.

"What was her name?" She asked softly and met the man's shocked gaze as he spun around to look at her face-to-face. He looked confused, almost baffled, at the thought of this girl for some reason caring more about his wife's name than her demise- her ultimate death and fate. Or maybe he was more aghast by the fact that she even cared to keep on subject. She was the _cure_ after all. And for some reason she was concerned about his lost wife…

"Candace." Jenner told her with a twinkle in his eye, "She was...an Einstein. Practically ran this place." The doctor laughed, a bright smile beginning to light up his face at the mention of his beloved. With this Ellie began to realize that maybe the world could wait a few more minutes.

"She was very beautiful." The pale blonde observed as her dark gaze lingered on the photo plastered to the wall, taking in each of the woman's stunning features. From her high cheek bones, to her flawless skin and her bright eyes she really was lovely. However, the woman's most defining feature had to be her soft red locks that fell past her shoulders in luscious strands of spun strawberry-tinted threads. She reminded her a lot of Grace because of that gorgeous trademark. Ever since Ellie was young she'd always found redheads beautiful. With their glimmering copper and scarlet locks and their flawless freckled skin she'd always found them especially alluring. It also seemed like each one she came across nowadays had a beautiful personality as well…

Nodding, Dr. Jenner sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to hold back tears before continuing, "She was ecstatic when they got the call that they'd found you- was practically on cloud nine." He laughed softly, turning to the small kit he had laid out beside Ellie on the table and pulled out a fluffy white swab before gesturing for her to open her mouth, "We were told that they located you taking refuge in a military base with your family." The doctor explained as he rubbed the cotton along the back of her throat, "We were unable to track down anyone else with your blood type. So we assumed that you are the last one..."

Eyes widening at the mention of this, Ellie felt her stomach wrench with a mixture of excitement and curiosity, "It's my blood type that makes me immune?"

Jenner raised his eyebrows at the girl, astonishment flooding his senses, "They never told you how you were…?" The man trailed off, only to receive a fierce nod in response to his wondering, "Only three...only three hundred people in the entire world have it on record- which is blood type X negative."

"X negative?" She repeated, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her father had always told her that she had A positive...Not that her blood type ever came into play much during her life but it was still a shock that he had been lying to her all of this time. She was also quite sure that there wasn't even an X negative blood type...

 _But why would he lie about something so significant?_

"It's a blood type where your white blood cells are about three trillion times stronger than any normal human's." Dr. Jenner explained as he slid the used swab into a small clear vile and put a cap on it before taking her bitten wrist into his hand gently, "And seeing as your white blood cells fight off infection and disease...whatever is going around now does not affect you." The man breathed, almost as if he was in as much disbelief as the girl in front of him before he gingerly ran his glove-covered thumb over the edges of the wound, "Your body fights it off."

As astounded as Ellie knew she should be, for some reason she couldn't quite grapple the thought of her blood type being so significant as something so mind-boggling. She knew that she should be on the floor- unconscious- passed out and unaware of the entire world that was spinning wildly around her. But instead she was simply gazing back into the stormy eyes of Dr. Edwin Jenner as he informed her of why the bite on her arm didn't turn her into a drooling, flesh-eating freak that attacked anything with a heartbeat. She was surprised, of course, but she couldn't find anything deep within her that led her into a trough of disbelief. In fact it helped make a few things all the more clear that had been troubling her from even _before_ the outbreak.

Such as why she had never, _ever_ \- not once- fallen ill with a flu or a cold or a fever or anything of the sorts throughout her entire life. Why even though a sudden eruption of chicken pox that had swarmed her entire daycare when she was four years old had infected every single child in the building but her. Why the gunshot to her leg never became infected despite lack of proper immediate medical care. And why this bite from her own bloodthirsty, crazed and undead father didn't turn her into his mutual.

"The thing that led us to the conclusion that it was the small minority of the three hundred that could survive this was not only because they were immune to every disease ever presented to them but because when someone turns..." Jenner continued, wincing with the girl as he ran the next fresh swab over her fleshy bite for another sample, "their blood type becomes X positive- or, well, the exact opposite of yours."

Raising her thick eyebrows at the sound of that, Ellie felt herself becoming intrigued. Especially after knowing so little to nothing as to how she was immune and or why and suddenly hearing all of this...it was enlightening. Most would find it crazy or stupefying- simply astounding. But her? She found it as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. By learning all of this she now had all of her answers slowly falling into place with their questions in which seemed everlasting only days ago. But now…

"That all left us with the idea that opposites can overpower the other- or more so the stronger opposite can overpower the other. Seeing as X negative is far more powerful than X positive." Dr. Jenner explained and slid the bloodied swab into another small glass cylinder, "We thought maybe use the overwhelming force to create something airborne or parasitic to wipe out anyone with the infection or to somehow change them back." The large man explained before swabbing both of her ears, "Back to life...If that's somehow even possible."

Shrugging at the thought, Ellie fluttered her chocolate brown gaze back up to the doctor's as he secured each of the newest samples into identical test tubes before capping each of them as he had all of the others, "Possibility isn't the most reliable factor nowadays in my opinion." She admitted whilst Jenner smirked at her proclamation, "I mean...there are dead people walking around and eating people after they're bitten. Most people would have said that that was never possible before all of this so I wouldn't bet money on probability and possibility anymore."

Nodding in agreement with an amused expression across his face, Jenner spoke with a laugh in his voice, "Never thought of it that way."

"You should have." Ellie told him jokingly as a teasing grin spread across her lips, "You're supposed to be a genius."


	15. Chapter 15: Fear

**Hey guys, sorry for such a long delay on chapter updates. Almost damn near a month ;v; Just have had a lack of muse for this story, hadn't had many ideas for it lately while I've had ton of ideas for other stories. So I kinda forced this one out. It was supposed to be a bit longer and more extensive, however I lost any motivation for it :c. Btw! How is everyone enjoying the new Walking Dead season? :D I'm loving it so far. It's giving me tons of ideas for new stories tbh. Leading me up to this question:**

 **I'm thinking of making a new fanfic! With a new OC and all- still TWD themed though. However I can't decide if I want to make it Carl/OC (obviously she'd be his age, but I think it'd be a nice change in pace.) or another Daryl/OC one. I'd like to hear from you all if you'd like another Daryl/OC or see me attempting a Carl/OC. I have a good few ideas for both. However the Carl/OC would be a really big bonding one with a nice slow burn that would lead the two up to their eventual relationship. I always felt like Carl needed someone throughout this apocalypse in a way and in so many others. He was always so alone age-wise and having someone like him around would greatly impact how he really is. I'm excited about that, but I love Daryl so much I'm just not sure what I'd prefer to do! So please let me know! c:**

 **ALSO: This chapter has not been proofread over again. Meaning there will be spelling and grammatical errors that I have not yet addressed because I'm way too tired to tonight ;_; Hopefully nothing is too bad and it is bearable. Thanks again and please don't forget to review and let me know if you'd like to see a Carl/OC or Daryl/OC again!**

 **P.S. Thank you for 60+ follows and 40+ faves on this guys! :)**

* * *

Daryl'd been doing what he did best since they'd made their way to the kitchen: drank.

Not just drinking, but _drinking-_ something he hadn't done since this whole shit storm had happened. And as he took down countless hard hitters that could knock a college frat boy unconscious with a mere whiff he began to feel like it'd been ages since he'd been lit. Which, technically, it had been.

From the bottles of _Smirnoff_ topped off with gulps of _Jack Daniels_ and _Southern Comfort,_ he felt as if he was floating on cloud nine. He was warm and his head was light while all of his limbs felt like they were being massaged by soft hands that wandered along places that weren't holy. Hell, he'd even popped open one of those fancy rich folk bottles of cane made of expensive emerald-colored crystal labeled _Bacardi_ and chugged the damn thing whole. But _god damn_ did he feel good.

And even knew that by the time he started on the copper-brown cognac wrapped in a gold label with _Hennessy_ written in bold letters across it that the other members of the group were becoming wary of his developing intoxication. From their sideways stares, nervous laughs and disgusted grunts he could tell that they weren't too keen on the redneck's overkill when it came to alcohol. But honestly the youngest Dixon couldn't find himself to care. The world was ending, there were far worse things than him enjoying a few bottles of hard liquor. Such as what was taking blondie so long with that fruity doctor.

The two had been gone for quite some time now- definitely longer than the thirty minutes he had promised. It had taken them longer than that to simply prepare their damn dinner. And frankly the tipsy redneck wasn't too keen on having his blondie alone with the creep for so long. He knew Jenner wouldn't touch her in some nasty way, knew he wouldn't harm her. Or more so couldn't when it came to the younget Dixon's doubt of any bad intentions. The hunter knew that blondie'd break his damn arms if he tried anything funny. Stab him with a syringe or some shit. After seeing her relentlessly fight back against an overwhelming force countless times over and over again he was positive that the lone doctor wouldn't be able to pull something tricky on her. Even if she was damn 4'11.

 _Fuckin' 4'11._ The redneck thought to himself with a scoff before taking a long chug of the freshly half-empty bottle of _Southern Comfort_.

However, as Daryl pried the bottle away from his alcohol-scented lips for a breath and prepared to gulp in another strong swig he was halted by the sound of the kitchen door swinging open- something he'd been awaiting for a good damn while.

Much to his own surprise everyone else also had their immediate attention turned to the doctor as he entered with the small drained girl. He knew that of course they were interested in learning of her ability to cure this strange disease that was overtaking the world around them, but he was still quite stupefied that even Rick and Shane had welcomed her arrival with a standing ovation mutual to the youngest Dixon's.

"Nice get-up, shawty." T-Dog remarked as the frail girl staggered her away unsteadily across the cafeteria towards Daryl, obviously hinting at her hospital gown that hung loosely from her petite frame. Ellie simply replied with a weak smile before stumbling and grabbing onto a chair to steady herself, causing each members of the group to lurch in their chairs a bit as if preparing to help her if need be. However, the alcohol-ridden redneck and Carol were the only ones to dart to her side as Jenner spoke up.

"She had to give a lot of blood for all of the tests." The bedraggled doctor explained as Daryl hooked his muscular arm around the girl's upper body to help keep her balanced, "So make sure she eats and drinks well before getting some good rest. There's also some things you can sift through in the rec room closet for clothes."

Raising her eyebrows suspiciously from beside Dale as Carol and Daryl gently settled Ellie into the seat beside his, Andrea piped in, "And where are her clothes from before?"

Smiling in an attempt to hide his own disgust and disbelief, Jenner responded levelly to the skeptical blonde woman, "They had particulates of the _turned_ on them. I want to use them as samples for a study as well."

Andrea simply gave the man a sideways glance before turning back to her dinner plate in which she had barely touched to sulk once again.

The redneck watched from beside Ellie's tiny frame as the doctor took a seat away from the entire group at the bar and poured himself a glass of some fruity wine before taking a dainty sip of it.

 _Fuckin' yuppie._ Daryl thought angrily and took a seat beside blondie who was thanking Carol for helping her settle.

Once the two had sufficiently helped the girl into her seat and Carol took her own back beside Sophia, Lori appeared with a plate stocked full of spaghetti and meat sauce along with a glass of a dark colored juice. The frail woman gingerly placed the heaping meal in front of Ellie then gave the girl a soft smile and gentle kiss on the top of her head before returning to Rick's side.

Daryl watched with amused eyes, much like the rest of the group, as the small girl's entire demeanor lit up like the Fourth of July as her own settled on the delectable sight in front of her. At first she simply gazed at the steaming pile of ground meat and thick tomato sauce mixed in with long yellowy noodles, almost as if she couldn't believe the beauty that was beheld in front of her. She didn't even damn eat, just stared.

"You know, girl," Shane spoke up with a playful smile on his face from across the table, "when someone gives ya a good meal ya 'spposed to eat it with your mouth- not your eyes."

At the sound of the ex-cop's words, the table erupted into a fit of laughter before Ellie snapped back into realization and gave Shane a furious nod then began to shovel the spaghetti in like it was her last supper. And, of course, at the sight of that everyone hooted and hollered even louder than before, practically causing the echoes of their course vocalizations to drown at the sound of Rick rising up and clinking his spoon against his glass as he began to speak up.

"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly." The sheriff called over the dying chuckles, rising with his glassful of crimson wine in the air in a salute to the scientist.

"He is more than just our host." T-Dog swooned, crediting his own reddish-purple chalice in the name of Dr. Jenner, who ducked under the spotlight of the group as everyone attributed his name with a selection of "Hear, hear's!", "Here's to you, Doc's" and even a bellowing "Booyah!" from Daryl who held up an entire bottle of hard liquor to the scientist. Ellie even stopped mid-shoveling of her meal to hold up her spaghetti-stained fork in a muffled salutation. Nonetheless Rick ended the cheers and thanks with a calm and silent "Thank you." and nod to Jenner, who in turn weakly raised his own glass in a solemn state with a slight gesture. To which Daryl thought was a being snooty, considering they all had practically saturated the large man in compliments and kudos.

And while of course the redneck had to admit that he wasn't all too batshit crazy about the suspicious doctor, he knew that he owed him some sort of respect. After all he had actually saved them all on the account of Rick's potential endangerment as well as was getting blondie the attention that they had been striving for for the past two days. He was giving them answers, safety, food and shelter- everything Rick had said that they would be getting in time once they reached the CDC. They were being given everything that thought was impossible now in this world it seemed by this stranger. He knew had to at least throw some sort of recognition in the doctor's direction, even if he felt a bit of his pride stripped away with it.

Though as everyone settled and went back to finishing up their meals and silent chatter, Shane was the first to break the semi-silence with a question the redneck was positive everyone was contemplating as well. However, none of them had the balls to ask it quite yet as the ex-cop had.

"So blondie- or Elizabeth- Ellie, this girl...She what she says she is? She the cure, doc?" The bulky man questioned and shot Jenner a slight side-glare with his brows raised while silence fell upon the cafe. Everyone shot Shane a wide-eyed look of surprise, though some with resentment as they ceased any eating or chatting as he continued, "Or we still just as much in the dark as we thought we was before?"

At the sound of this, Daryl noticed Ellie settling her fork down immediately to straighten uncomfortably once all eyes turned from Shane to her. She evidently wasn't stupid, nor was she oblivious to the situation. Blondie definitely understood the stakes that she was facing at the moment with the quarry group. She understood the silver platter that was being served upon now. The people that were depending on her just as much as they were now doubting her wanted the answers and the ultimate truth that had been prodding at each of them since the words had slipped from the youngest Dixon's mouth back at camp:

Is _she really who and what she says she is?_

And all the while she may have the astounding proof sewn into her left wrist in the appearance of fleshy bite wound, there were always gonna be doubt to whether her word was as good as it was s'posed to be. Especially while anything- _anything-_ was possible in this damn world by now. This girl could have somehow been flashing a dog bite around like it was a walker's just as much as it could be the relatively claimed one she'd be promising. Everyone just wanted the truth and the answers by now- including Daryl. Even though he had gained trust for the girl he still wanted full certainty.

"Yes." Jenner finally responded, causing a faint uproar of gasps and relieved sighs from the others that were huddled tightly around the large table, "She's...Everything she promised." The doctor breathed with gleaming eyes mixed with countless emotions that Daryl could only identify as infatuation mixed with something else that he was hoping he wouldn't be seeing for a long while:

Fear.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye something blue."

"We ain't fuckin' doin' this 'gain, blondie." Daryl growled as he made his way down the dimly-lit hallway with the half-conscious blonde clinging to his back tightly. After dinner and Jenner's reassurance that Ellie was the cure everyone had decided to finally take the doc up on his earlier mention of the hot water. Even Daryl, a dirty backwoods redneck who practically bathed in mud on the daily, was more than happy to feel the fresh steam on his face.

"You're such a downer." The girl sighed and rested the top of her head against the back of his dirt-laden before Carol came into the view of the two with a suspicious look across her face and Sophia clinging to her hip like a lost puppy, "Hello, Carol." Ellie added to the end of her sentence, earning a genuine grin from the short-haired woman who then turned her gaze back to the youngest Dixon.

"Good evening." The ex-housewife spoke, shifting uncomfortably on her two feet in a way that spoke numbers to Daryl. He knew what her issue was.

 _This shit 'gain._

"We just gonna go get'er washed up, lady. No need ta get yer panties in a bunch." Daryl growled and began to push his way past the woman with a grunt before he felt a bony hand catch his forearm. Swinging around in annoyance, he met the terrified blue-gray eyes of Carol who quickly withdrew her fingers from his arm in fear.

And in that motion he realized what he'd done.

Daryl wasn't a softy, nor was he one to sympathize or even empathize with others. At least not regularly. But he knew what Carol had been going through with Ed. He knew what that sunuvabitch had been doing to both her and lil girl. He knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed by a more powerful force than yourself and involuntarily subjected into situations that you didn't deserve to be in in the first place. He understood the woman, even if he didn't want to admit to it. He understood her fear of him and her fear of what he could and would do to her if she pushed too hard- _too far_. Because he could simply read it in her eyes the same way he would read it in his own when he fled to the bathroom of his own old rundown home and lock the door tightly behind him. He remembered pulling up an old wooden stool practically on its last leg and he'd glare into the bathroom mirror as he gently poked and prodded his own fresh bruises and welts that found _their_ new home on his skin. The purples, the reds, the blues and the yellows that he'd become accustomed to finding their way onto his face and back and arms every few days just as the old ones had begun to scab over and fade. Everyday it was a reopening of old wounds for him, physically and mentally.

Swallowing his own pride and need to uphold a harsh exterior, the redneck slowly pulled away his own gaze from Carol's before turning it to look back at blondie. She seemed to have read the situation as easily as he had, even with a lack of experience. He could tell that she was awaiting on his own response more so physically than with words at this point. He knew that this girl had a creepy way of reading people, whether it be their pasts or their present that they were currently wading in. He damn sure knew she could sense some sort of troubled past radiating off of him from the moment that she'd laid eyes on him- but damn near anyone could at this point. Hell, he practically had "backwoods inbred abused white trash" written across his forehead nowadays.

"Anything wrong?" Blondie finally piped up, saving the redneck from the taunting silence that seemed to always find its way tearing deep into him like a ravaged corpse. He could only thank the small girl in his thoughts enough for consistently reviving him from these awkward situations that he often found himself drowning in. It seemed like far too frequent nowadays.  
"No, no. I-I um- never mind." The frail woman stammered and flashed the two an awkward smile before beginning to usher Sophia ahead, "I just wanted to let you both know that I left Ellie some clothes in your guys' room for after she showered." Carol finished uneasily before scampering away after her equally-flustered daughter and ducking into the rec room out of sight.

As the two vanished from the hallway and left blondie and him alone once again the redneck felt a wave of relief washing over him. He always felt subtle and calm when it was just himself and the small girl. He knew she didn't judge him, knew she didn't think dirty or uncouth thoughts on the subject of him either. She didn't pester him too much unless she wanted play god damn _I Spy_ or something of the sorts. But overall of that she was a newfound serenity that he would never admit aloud to. Just her presence was something of tranquility and placidity that would never grow old it seemed. That of which he was hoping would always remain.

"What do you think Carol's problem was?" Blondie suddenly piped up, sliding her tiny hands onto his shoulders so that she could shift her weight upwards in a way that allowed her to peer her head around and stare at him, "Do you think she's still overwhelmed with what happened at dinner?"

Peering at the girl from the side of his eye, Daryl bit into the side of his cheek in an attempt to ignore her warm breath that fluttered against his stubble before replying with a simple, "Nah."

"Then why was she acting so strange?" The girl questioned, eyebrows furrowing ritualistically as the redneck used one arm to push open the bathroom door and the other to keep her hoisted, "Is she angry at you? Did you all get into a fight while I was with Dr. Jenner?"

"Nah, that ain't it." Daryl muttered as the two entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him with a booted foot, "Kinda."

" _Kinda_?" Ellie prompted while the redneck clicked the lock on the door securely before starting across the shiny white tile, "What do you mean 'kinda'?"

Grunting with annoyance, the youngest Dixon knelt down to let the small blonde slide from his shoulders and onto the cold ivory porcelain seat as he then began to fill the sink up with warm water. He watched silently as the dirt and blood washed from his palms and practically stained the glistening ceramic whilst washing down the metallic drain with a suction sound. After deftly cleansing his palms with the fruity smelling hand soap beside the faucet he rinsed the sink of his grime and then plugged the drain to allow it to fill.

"Kinda?" The small blonde questioned again, this time though her voice was barely a whisper as the redneck turned to face her with a befuddled expression. She seemed to get now that something was bothering him and it definitely had to with her as well as the others in the group. She wasn't stupid and could sure as hell catch onto nearly anything that crossed her path- and god forbid oblivion even crossed anyone's mind because this girl was far from it. But her innocence? He knew that would end up getting her into a sticky situation that she couldn't quite get out of alone.

She trusted him so deeply, so fondly that she was completely blind to the fact that he was a man with eyes and desires. That he did in fact have a taste for her even though he had assured her that day in the shack that she most definitely was _not_ his type. But god forbid if she acknowledged that.

This girl saw him as a man who saved her from a bunch of wild beasts and was just as vulnerable to him as she was to them, however he did nothing of what they had. He'd never touched her inappropriately, never made advances on her or tried to force her into things- nothing of the terrifying sorts. In fact he had saved her from that mess and provided her with care and safety as well as a hope and new family. He was everything that she knew that she could look into the eyes and trust with everything in her heart without even a linger of doubt.

And that sure as hell wasn't oblivion, but something that could sure as hell damn get you killed just as easily:

Blind trust.

"Kinda." The hunter breathed finally before snatching one of the fluffy white towels that was folded upon a silver rack beside the shower and tossed it at the girl, "I'll explain while we get ya cleaned up."

With those big brown eyes the girl searched him with curiosity in her gaze before giving him an understanding nod while settling the towel down on the edge of the sink. Even after reaching down to shakily slide the thin cotton hospital dress over her battered legs she didn't look up once to see if he had turned around or covered his eyes to shield himself from the sight- even though once he realized what she was doing he had spun around in the opposite direction.

 _For Christ's sake…_ He thought irritably before forcing away any dirty thoughts that found themselves prodding at the back of his head as well as to force down any urges to sneak a peak. The redneck did his best to shield any noises of slight ruffling or shifting she made as well as any questions she found herself pelting him with constantly. However the youngest Dixon simply forced himself to remain silent despite her speaking directly to him. He wasn't sure if his voice would come out right or somehow startle the girl when he finally did reply. And it wasn't that he was unable to hold himself against the nude body of a woman, nor was it that he was unable to hold himself simply against _her_ , but more so he didn't want her to stop seeing him in the way she did now.

Trustworthy, sober, everything she was looking for in someone nowadays. He didn't want her to see him as a monster. He didn't want her to see him as what everyone else did.

"I'm finished." Ellie spoke up suddenly, causing him to turn only halfway to make sure she was in fact covered before spinning to face her completely. However, what he saw from the side of his eye was a bit different than what he had originally contemplated…

While blondie had found herself coverage besides the thin cotton hospital dress from earlier, she had seemed to miss the concept. Now, with the crumpled up hospital gown at her dangling feet from where she sat upon the toilet lid, she simply held the fluffy white towel he had tossed her way earlier over her tiny frame right above her chest. He couldn't help but admire the way the pale glow of her bruised skin complimented the downy cloth which draped luxuriously over her like some sort of curtaining that hung from her like some sort of nude French painting. Or the way he could make out the faint outline of protruding bones that seamed through her body like small etchings across her skin. He also was just as mesmerized at how she'd also taken the liberty to let her long, dirtied pale blonde locks from the high-set ponytail she'd adorned only moments ago and let them fall effortlessly down to her hips again. He really didn't want to get into what laid below those locks now.

 _God fucking dammit. This little shit._

"Alright." Daryl growled, tearing his eyes away from the girl in front of him to snatch a washcloth from the metallic rack which beheld countless piles of freshly washed white bath linen before dabbing it into the running water from the faucet, "This is what I'm talkin' 'bout, blondie."

"Hm?" The pale girl hummed carelessly as she swayed her tiny bare feet through the air and Daryl saw her turn her head to gaze at him from the corner of his eye.

Letting out a long exasperated sigh, the redneck turned off the water and rung out the white cloth until it ceased its dripping before looking into the mirror above the sink. He held in his breath as he observed his own gruff features.

His eyes wandered over the dark bags that hung dark beneath each lower lid, across the rough patches of overgrown stubble, along the numerous scratches and scars, above and below every small crease that begun to line his entire maw. He took in the thin pinkness of his own chapped lips, noting how blondie'd never want to kiss those dirty things. Especially with her own soft, plump pink ones that always found themselves eying him like a starved hawk fighting for its final meal.

 _Get on with it, Dixon._

Turning abruptly, Daryl stooped down to kneel in front of the girl who seemed to jump a bit at his sudden movement, though she settled subtly as he gently took her battered leg into his palm. Gently, he began to run the warm washcloth along the countless dirty cuts and bruises that lined her pale shins before continuing on.

"Ya trust me too much." The redneck finally blurted out, causing the girl's head to snap up immediately with indignation.

"How is that an issue?" She argued in displeasure, those thick eyebrows of hers furrowing in that way that he'd now grown accustomed to, "I thought our whole friendship was based on our trust. You're trustworthy, you saved m-"

"That isn't exactly what I mean, girl." Daryl muttered and scrubbed lightly at an especially dark spot on the girl's skin, refusing to shift his eyes upwards to meet her own chocolate brown ones that he was sure were blazing with outrage at this point.

"Then what do you mean?" Ellie whimpered, her fist clutching the towel that covered her tiny frame all the more tightly, "I can't trust you?"

This time the hunter's head did fly up at the sound of that, causing him to meet her teary-eyed gaze with full force in only a matter of moments. At first he had to admit he was a bit taken aback by her weeping, he hadn't expected her to take her not being able to trust him in such a hard way- especially when that isn't what he had meant at all…

"No!" He growled, feeling his own heart wrenching in a foreign way that made his stomach turn with a newfound fear that he'd never quite embellished before, "I just...I mean that tha way everyone's see yer trust- or at least the way ya been showin' it..."

"What'd I do wrong?" Blondie mewled, biting at her bottom lip profusely as she stared hard into his icy blue glare, "I won't do it again. I mean, I never meant to do it in the first place. I-"  
"No, no- listen. Damn." The redneck hissed in an attempt to calm down the small girl who seemed to be falling into some sort of panic attack, "It ain't a matter of ya trusting me or me trustin' ya, girl. It's the matter of everyone not trustin' me with ya. It's'a matter of them thinkin' that I..." Daryl felt his voice trailing off as the girl's eyes widened to terrified moons. He knew she was picking up on what he was putting down, "But again that ain't even what I'm worried about, girl. Couldn't care less what them assholes thinkin' anyways. But I do worry about how easily ya drop trough and bear it all."

Tilting her head to the side, the hunter watched as the girl's eyebrows raised to a high point on her head and a sudden flush of pink spread across her face. He could tell that this thought had never crossed her mind, he always knew that. Especially since he had always said and done things to steer her away from it initially. But now that he had really shone it into the light he was able to tell that it did fluster her after all.

From the befuddled expression across her face, to the way those eyebrows were twitching and furrowing with embarrassment or how those large doe-like eyes darted around the room while she pulled the towel all the more tightly against herself the redneck was able to tell he finally got it through her thick skull that her goods were after all quite the sight for sore eyes.

"I-I thought I wasn't your type." She stammered, meeting the redneck's hardened gaze before immediately tearing it away to glare in the adorably flustered way at the wall by the shower.

Scoffing, the redneck rolled his eyes and lowered her leg back down before taking the other gingerly in his calloused hand to continue washing, "Ya really aren't as smart as ya let on ta be, blondie."


	16. IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ

THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE AND THERE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER ONE FOR THIS STORY, I AM SORRY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ THOUGH IF YOU ENJOY MY WALKING DEAD FANFICTIONS AS I HAVE STARTED A NEW ONE.

first off sorry to all of those who thought this was a continuation/new chapter for this fanfiction. i simply lost interest in it long ago as you can see and haven't had the urge to update it or even think about it. i have taken much more interest in other series and characters rather than whom i was in this particular fiction. so if you are still interested in following a fanfiction of the walking dead by me, please check out my recently posted fanfiction "Dog Teeth" on my profile, it is a Negan/OC (THE OC IS PRETTY MUCH ELLIE FROM THIS FANFICTION, THOUGH HER NAME AND BACK STORY HAS BEEN ALTERED TO FIT THE NEW STORY) so i would really appreciate it if you guys checked that out for me because i know a lot of you whom followed this fanfiction really meant a lot to me and hearing from you always brightened my day! thanks a lot you all, i really appreciate you reading my stories. until next time, -tea


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